A Ghost Story
by CreamPuffBunny
Summary: Gojyo inherits an old colonial house but may have a mysterious roommate who did not come with the deed. GojyoxHakkai SanzoxGoku. AU. (Reuploaded from an old adultfanfiction account)
1. Chapter 1

***Re-uploaded from my old AFF. I wrote this fic in 2007, so it's one of my earlier works. I hope you enjoy it all the same! The chapters are long as well.***

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Saiyuki or its characters. This is a story just for fun and I am not making a profit off it.

This story will have accurate historical themes but some may be tampered with for the sake of the story. If you do not like that, then please do not read this fic. I will do my best to keep the facts in the best order I can. Towns and street names have been made up except for the historical ones that will appear throughout the story.

This story will have mature adult themes and strong language.

Please read on and enjoy!

Chapter One

The rain fell hard on the windshield of Gojyo's Ford pick up truck as the wipers swept rapidly back and forth. He cursed under his breath at the weather and reached into his back pocket for a pack of cigarettes. Flipping the top open, he frowned as he saw the pack was empty. He crushed it in his hand and tossed it on the floor of the passenger side seat.

"God damn it, this day just keeps getting worse and worse." He mumbled to himself as he continued to drive down the slightly deserted road. "This place better not be run down to that of a shack." He sighed and looked at his paper with directions to his new house.

Gojyo had inherited the house from a distant relative he did not know existed. It was left in both his name and that of his half brother Jien, but Jien already had a house of his own. So Gojyo got to keep the house in just his name, which to him, was much better than living in the house he grew up in. For Gojyo, too many sad and haunting memories laid in that house, and any place was better than there.

It was not long before he had entered the small town of Sunnyside, Massachusetts, which consisted of old colonial houses and recently built ones. The street was narrow, Gojyo noticed, as he drove slowly to not hit the cars parked along side of the road. At a red light, he quickly took a look at the address again and glanced at the street signs.

"So Locus Street should be this way?" He said to himself as he made a right. He continued straight through the town until he started to make his way on the outskirts, where he found Locus Street. "Alright, it shouldn't be too far off now." He slowed down a bit to count the houses until he found number 97. "This is it." He pulled into the muddy driveway and up to the side of the house. "It's a bit smaller than I thought." he frowned, and then figured it might be the rain covered windows hindering his view.

Quickly, he jumped out of the truck, pulling two suitcases from the back and running onto the front porch. The rain seemed to fall harder as he fumbled with his car keys, trying to find the one that unlocked the door. With a curse, he found the key and pushed it in, but found it was slightly jammed. "Mother fuc-" he swore softly under his breath as he jiggled the lock until it finally opened. With both suitcases in hand, he pushed the door open and entered, finally coming out of the rain. "It never fails to rain when I leave for somewhere." he said angrily and dropped his bags.

The house was dark and chilly, with hardly any furniture in sight. He swore under his breath and walked over to the tall lamp in the corner of the living room. The walls were white and a bit cracked in the corners; even the woodwork was chipped. The floorboards creaked in a few spots as he walked around the room, looking it up and down. His distant relative kept the place clean, but did not fix it up. Gojyo noticed that most of the furniture left looked old, almost antique. He figured they were left over from previous owners and in the good condition they were in he would keep them.

The kitchen was small with an old refrigerator, slightly crooked cabinet doors, and a sink. He tested the stove to make sure the real-estate agent sent word to have the gas and water turned on. When a blue flame popped up after one or two clicks, he let it run for a bit as he checked the water, which was clear. He smiled and turned off the stove, seeing that everything was in working order.

"No dishwasher though." he frowned and slipped his hands in his pockets as he checked the next room, which had an old piano and a desk, along with a scratched up rug and lounge chair. A fireplace was in the center of the wall, cleaned of any ashes. Gojyo looked up the chimney to see if it was opened or closed off. It was opened, which means he could get a fire going whenever he wanted. When the moving truck came with his stuff, he could put his futon couch in here so he can sleep in front of the fire, to save money on heat. He did not need a lot to live on, just enough to live.

Next he headed up the stairs, which creaked with every step. There were only about ten and the railing stopped half way up, leaving just the walls. The upstairs hallway was small, with only three rooms. One room to the right had a bed and a bureau, with a chest under the window. The wall was bare and there was a small door next to the bed. Curious, he bent down and opened it, seeing nothing more than a tiny crawlspace. He rolled his eyes and closed it, heading to the larger door on the opposite side. He opened it up and it was an empty built in closet, with a box of mothballs at the bottom. Gojyo made a mental note to get rid of that box when he started organizing. This would be his room, since it was the biggest.

The room next to it was a smaller room, but was empty except for a coat hanger and another little door in the corner. Gojyo walked over to it and studied it, seeing that it was not as small as the crawlspace. The doorknob was old and he had to jiggle it to get it to open. He was surprised to see a small, narrow staircase leading up into what could only be an attic. He smirked and walked up the tiny steps, having to duck his head at the entrance. The roof came just inches above his head and he looked around. The room was too dark to really make anything out, and there was no light switch or light bulbs anywhere. He could hear the rain falling down hard on the roof above him as he left the attic and closed the door.

The final room, which was completely empty, had the most windows. Gojyo walked in and looked out the back window. He saw something in the distance and had to scrub the fog off the glass. Squinting, he could make out a graveyard but it was too far away to judge if it was big or small.

"Just great, I'm living next to a bunch of dead people." he leaned against the wall and sighed. "Well, guess it's better than the living. Can't complain about my neighbors making noise." he said with a chuckle and left to check out the bathroom, which was the last room in the house. The toilet and tub looked to be new but Gojyo flushed the toilet just to check. He then checked the showerhead, which also worked. "Perfect."

He went back down to the living room where his bags were, noting that he had to get a television and cable. He opened one of his bags and took out a pack of cigarettes, smoking one. He sat back lazily in the chair and looked up at the ceiling with a peaceful smile.

"No car horns, no gun shots, no sirens-" he sighed "I could get used to this." He closed his eyes and thought about what he was going to do with all his things when they arrived. He was looking forward to setting up his new 'pad' and with that thought, he got up and put the cigarette out in the sink. He put his hands behind his head and sighed peacefully, stretching. "Some peace and quiet."

But what he heard next made his eyes shoot open and his body freeze. The music from the piano began to play a tune! Gojyo ran and looked at the piano, but it had stopped. He raised an eyebrow and went over to it, touching one of its keys. The key made a deep toot, showing that it was old and broken. It was definitely not the music he just heard. A thought suddenly crossed his mind as an answer to what just happened, but he laughed at himself.

"Pfft…ghosts. What a load shit. Gojyo my boy, you're loosing your mind."

Gojyo started to go threw his suitcases, taking out anything immediate he needed. He figured he would call for take out rather than go back out in the rain. But he could not help staring every now and then at the piano, thinking back to what happened. Gojyo had not been drinking, so it could not have been that. Or maybe it was a big rat? Perhaps a bat or a mouse? Whatever the reason, he knew he could not dwell on it.

It was nearing dinnertime so he figured it was time to put his order in, incase the stores close early in the area. He took the phonebook from under the telephone stand and looked up an eatery. As he picked up the phone, he froze as he heard a noise coming from the floor above him, as if someone was walking. Gojyo raised an eyebrow and slowly hung up the phone. He did not hear the sound again, but chose to go up and investigate, in case someone was actually in the house.

Gojyo, unafraid of whatever thug or robber was present, strolled up the stairs and into the master bedroom. There was nothing there in the open, so he checked under the bed, the closet, and the attic. While he was up there he checked around the other rooms to make sure.

"Shit, I must have rats." He said and rolled his eyes. "Damn old country houses." He shrugged and went back downstairs to call in for his dinner, this time he was not interrupted by a noise. Lighting up another cigarette, he took out his portable radio and put it on the mantle to hear some music. He sat back in the chair and kicked his shoes off. "Guess I'll have to invite frick and frack over soon." He smirked, referring to his two friends.

Bored with the music and lack of cable television, Gojyo reverted to opening up one of his many girly magazines that he brought along with him. He crossed his legs and smirked as he flipped the pages, turning the magazine at all angles. Out of the corner of his eye, Gojyo thought he saw the figure of a person near the doorway and he turned his head quickly to look. But nothing was there. He raised an eyebrow and laid the cigarette in the ashtray slowly.

"What the hell was that?" he thought out loud, rubbing his eyes. "Damn, must be from all that rain and driving. I need a drink…and damn it I didn't bring any." He glanced back at the door where he saw the shadow and he felt a sudden quick chill all along his body. "It's a bit cold in here." he said, thinking that was what the sudden chill was caused by. Little did he know, that he was not alone in the house. A ghostly lithe hand curled around the woodwork of the door and silently tapped its fingers.

About an hour later, there was a knock on the door and Gojyo went to answer it. It was the pizza delivery guy who, Gojyo noticed, had no umbrella and was soaked from the rain. He also noticed that his pizza box was soaked a bit and sighed. Gojyo paid the boy and gave him a small tip before slamming the door in his face. He sat down at the table in the kitchen and started eating his pizza lazily. With all his stuff on the way, he had nothing else to do. He figured that after dinner, he would go straight to bed so he could be ready for all his things to arrive tomorrow. The room suddenly got cold again and he frowned, dropping the remaining pizza back in the box.

"Damn it, I need to make so many fucking calls tomorrow…" he trailed off tiredly. "Damn cold houses." He got up and went to the thermostat to turn up the heat, when he saw that it was already on. Gojyo frowned and scratched his head. "I guess I must have did it already. Boy, I am losing my mind." he smirked and ate another piece of pizza before putting the box into the fridge. He cracked his neck and stretched his back before turning everything off and heading upstairs to his room. He had to check the sheets out first, and found them to be clean. Without a care, he flopped himself down and settled in.

It was not late into the evening when he felt the room get cold again, cold enough to wake him up out of sleep. He groaned and opened his eyes lazily, but he saw something he never in a million years expected to see. A dark figure of a man, only upper torso visible, was by the window of the room but quickly disappeared. Gojyo sat up in bed, his eyes wide and his heart pounding.

"What the fuck-?" he said out loud, turning on the bedside lamp. There was nothing in the room when he looked around, but the event still made him uneasy. It was just like the piano incident from this afternoon, strange and unexplainable. "Damn, I must be exhausted…now I'm seeing things, and I haven't had one drop to drink." he said with a tired chuckle.

He flopped himself back down on the bed but could not get back to sleep, the image still too fresh in his mind. Throwing the covers off, he got out of bed and headed downstairs to make himself something warm to drink. He knew he had brought some cocoa and tea with him. The room was too dark downstairs and he made a turn to put the light on. Once again, something caught his eye and he turned around. What he saw made his face drop, his eyes wide, and his limbs still. He saw the same ghostly figure from his room gliding up the steps, still no facial features or feet. He gulped and nearly fell back into the lamp but managed to catch himself.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! I HAVE GHOSTS!" he shouted and flopped into the armchair, still in shock. His hands trembled a bit as he ran a hand through his hair. "Ghosts….I have ghosts. Not rats, not mice or bats…but ghosts." He thought about it a bit more, and realized that if he told anyone, they would all think he was crazy. He was a grown man worrying about ghosts and magic pianos. "Damn old houses!" he swore under his breath.

After an hour or so of just sitting in the chair, he heard a sound coming from up above him again. He gulped and looked up, but the sound had stopped. It sounded as if someone was walking, but the ghost had no feet. How could they walk then? A ghost is supposed to be quiet, so how can it make noise? All these questions were rambling through his head and he could not think of a logical answer for any of them. Whatever the reason, he did not want to be bothered by it.

"Damn ghosts! This is my place now and I'm not going to have you all driving me crazy! Understand?!" he shouted up to the ceiling, hoping that the ghost, or ghosts, could hear him. "They're not going to scare me! I've been up against REAL bad asses, and I've come through!" He lit himself a cigarette, smoked it to the end, and crushed it in the ashtray. "Fuck this." Gojyo went back upstairs and into his room, giving it a quick look around first. He got into bed and threw the covers over his head. Lucky for him, sleep came right away.

/Ghost am I?/ the 'ghost' said in a whisper. /This is your house you say?/ he chuckled. /This was my house first./ the ghost watched as Gojyo slept for a bit and then slowly faded away.

/

The next morning, Gojyo got a call from the moving company, saying that they were running late and would be there by the afternoon. The rain had stopped and the sun was out, so he decided to sit on the porch instead. He lit his cigarette and looked out at the other houses.

"I wonder if they have ghosts?" he said with a chuckle. "I'm going to name mine." he smirked "Too bad its not a lady, but since it's a guy, I think I'll name him Nesbit." he scoffed "Nesbit." Gojyo turned around and looked up at the house in slight suspicion. He gasped slightly as he saw the figure again from his bedroom window! It was gone as quickly as it had come. "What in-!" he stopped himself. "Nobody said anything about 'ghosts' in the house description!" He shrugged and decided to take a little stroll outside the house.

He walked around the back and saw the graveyard again. Gojyo took another cigarette and decided to walk over to the graveyard, just to get away from the house for a bit. The graveyard was small, with old rounded tombstones and an age worn iron fence. Most of the tombstones were either broken or sunken into the ground, showing their age. Gojyo hopped over the short fence and walked along the aisles, checking out the graves.

"Sarah Willington, beloved wife and mother, 1748-1774…" the rest of the writing on the stone was worn and scratched, as were many other stones. "Damn…these are all from the 1770's. Is everything old in this area?" he rolled his eyes and dropped his cigarette on the ground, putting it out with his boot before he continued to look around.

He came to a bunch of smaller graves and frowned when he read what they all said. Every grave was that of an infant, none having had made it to a year of life. He touched the writing on one of the graves and sighed. Something else caught his eye as he looked over the baby graves to the thin dirt road. There, away from all the other graves, were a few sunken, small stones. He went over to them and knelt down in front of one, trying to read the words. The letters were worn and chipped, so he could only make out a few words.

"Looks like a prayer of some kind." he said and tried to study the stone some more. "Sinner?" that was the only other word he could pick out from all the others. Gojyo raised an eyebrow and looked at the others, seeing the same prayer, but no names or dates. "This must be where the witches were, or those who brought shame and disgrace to whomever. No wonder they are all the way over here." With that, Gojyo exited the graveyard and headed back to the house. "I wonder if my ghost is buried over there?" He thought and looked back at the graveyard.

When he got back in the house, he made himself some tea and sat down at the table. He sat there long in thought, thinking about all the work he had to do. He had to find a job in the area, call the cable guy, the computer company, organize his things, and invite his 'friends'. He shrugged and took a long sip of his tea, wishing he had some liquor instead.

"So much fucking shit to do." He mumbled and stared down into his tea. He suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and goose bumps decorated his skin. Someone, or something, was behind him. Gojyo could not bring himself to turn around to look, fearing that it would that ghost. He closed his eyes tight and held his breath, not knowing what else to do. What happened next scared the shit out of him.

/Hello./ came the ghostly voice.

"SHIT!" he jumped up from the seat, knocking it over and turning around quickly to swing at whoever it was. Once again, nothing was there. Gojyo's eyebrow twitched and he shook a bit, his hands clenched into fists. "Okay…okay…calm down." he said out loud to himself. "It's just a ghost…just a ghost…it's dead. It can't hurt me, it can't do anything other than ANNOY ME!" he shouted. "LISTEN YOU, WHOEVER YOU ARE! YOU BETTER JUST GO BACK TO WHATEVER GRAVE OR SPOT YOUR ROTTING CORPSE IS IN! YOU'RE DEAD AND I'M ALIVE! I OWN THIS HOUSE NOW! SO GET OUT OF HERE AND LEAVE ME ALONE! OR AT LEAST STOP MAKING NOISE!" He panted angrily as his eyes darted all around the area, searching for the ghost.

/That was rather rude!/ came the voice again.

"GODDAMN IT! DON'T TALK TO ME!"

/Well, I cannot help that, good sir. I am a resident here, for this is MY house./ Gojyo growled.

"Fuck you, dead guy! You're dead! You can't live here anymore!"

/But I do live here. I was here first. Have you not heard of sharing?/

"I have, but I don't share with dead people!"

Gojyo gulped as he started to see the appearing figure of a young man come slowly into view. He could now make out all features of the ghost. His face turned white and he held his breath. The ghost smiled softly at him. The young mans' body was slim and he was just as tall as Gojyo, maybe a few inches shorter. He wore glasses and old dress, like something from the colonial period. His feet were visible this time around, and he wore high boots. His entire body was transparent, except for the whitish, almost grayish color filling in his body. Gojyo could clearly see the stove through the ghosts' body.

/Welcome to MY home, Gojyo./ After he said that, Gojyo fell back on the floor in a faint.

/

When Gojyo woke up, he heard the sound of loud knocking on the front door and the voice of a man. He sat up and rubbed his head, looking at the door. He recognized the moving van company and swore under his breath. Gojyo fixed himself up quickly, pushing the 'ghost' out of his head, and running to the door. The two moving men looked at him.

"Good day sir, we have your stuff here." Said one.

"Oh yes, um, come in." he stepped aside and the two men stepped in.

"Where would you like us to pile everything?" The other asked.

"Just bring the stuff in and I'll tell you where to place it." The men nodded and went outside to their truck. Gojyo, thinking back to the ghost, frowned and looked around the room. He had to have been dreaming… why would a GHOST be talking?

"Sir?" Gojyo jumped at the sound of the man's voice. "Didn't mean to startle you, but where would you like the couch?"

"Uh…um, in that room, in the center of the floor facing the fireplace." The men did so and continued carrying in all of Gojyo's things. He stood directing and watching them when he noticed something else to his right in the kitchen. A ghostly hand and a shoulder slowly peeked around the woodwork. Gojyo's hair stood on end again as he looked at the ghost. The ghosts' head appeared and it was watching the movers.

"Sir, would you like the pots and pans in the kitchen?" Asked one of the movers.

Gojyo just nodded and pointed to the kitchen, the ghost still present. The mover walked right past the ghost, but was not frightened at all! Nor had the man seen it! The ghost turned its head to look at the man and followed him with his eyes as he left the kitchen. The ghost looked over at Gojyo and gave a little smile along with a friendly wave. Gojyo just stared at him with a long, shocked frown. The ghost faded away soon after.

Gojyo tipped the men for their labor and stood in the small hallway, looking at the rooms on both sides of him. He sighed as he looked at all the boxes that needed unpacking.

"Might as well start now." He went to work on unpacking the kitchen things first, cleaning off the counter and dusting in various places. He was unpacking the plates when he turned and came face to face with the ghost. "JESUS CHRI-" he shouted and nearly dropped all the plates on the floor. The ghost just laughed softly.

/I did not mean to scare you./ Gojyo was panting and glaring at the ghost.

"Yeah well, you did! I almost dropped my plates because of you! Wait, what the FUCK am I doing?! I'M TALKING TO A DEAD GUY!"

/I am dead?/ the ghost checked himself over. /Oh dear, I did not know that./ Gojyo looked at him in shock, then his mouth dropped opened.

"You mean you don't know?!" The ghost chuckled.

/No, I know I am dead. Not being able to leave the house will tell one that, right?/

"Uh….I guess….um…so you…can't leave the house?" The ghost shook his head.

/I have tried and failed./ He said sadly. /I have been here for a very long time. Tell me, what year is it?/

"Uh, 2007.' The ghosts' eyes widened.

/Oh my…I have been here for nearly 200 years./ The ghost looked over at Gojyo. /You look absolutely terrified of me. Please, there is no reason to be. I will not hurt you./

"This is just, uh, weird. I'm alive, and I'm talking to a dead guy. I thought ghosts were like, not suppose to talk and interact."

/Well, I do not know how other ghosts like me act, but I have always been this way. For a very, very long time this house was empty. There was a man living here previously before you, but he was blind and could not see me. I believe he could hear me, though./

"Uh yeah, he was like, a distant relative of mine. He gave the house to my brother, well, half brother, and I. But my brother has a place already, so I took it instead. I didn't ask for any room mates though." The ghost laughed.

/I am afraid I have to remain here, good sir. In all fairness, I was here first./

Gojyo could not believe what was happening. Here he was, standing in the kitchen and talking to a ghost. A ghost! That was talking to him! He did not know what to make of the situation. He was freaked out in a way, but also somewhat calm. The ghost did not appear to be as frightening anymore. Although the situation was clearly strange. But Gojyo was not one with tunnel vision. If there was one thing he did not like to do was follow the norm. And growing up where he did, there were WAY more things more frightening than a ghost.

"Ah yes, I guess you were." He said, crossing his arms. "So…you owned this place?"

/Oh no. I was a servant here./

"A servant?"

/Yes. It has been so long, that I fear I do not remember much at all./

"Do you remember your name?" The ghost nodded.

/Yes. I do not remember my real name, but I do remember the name my master gave to me.  
Or rather, the master's son I should say./ He looked at Gojyo. /My name is Hakkai./ He held out his ghostly hand in a handshake. Gojyo looked at his hand and slowly reached his own out to grasp Hakkai's. However, his hand went right through Hakkai's.

"Sorry man, the dead can't touch the living." Hakkai sighed.

/No, I suppose not./

"So…how did you die?" Hakkai looked at him, blinked, then thought.

/I do not remember./

"Were you sick?" Hakkai shook his head

/I do not know…but I do know that it was something bad./ He looked sadly at Gojyo. /I may have done something wrong./

"Do you remember anything? Anything at all?" Hakkai looked down.

/I remember Mr. Revere warning about the enemy coming by the river…and a battle raging on later in the evening…I was in the battle too./ He trailed off. Gojyo raised an eyebrow.

"That's all you remember?"

/Well, I believe it was at Lexington and Concord./ Gojyo remembered learning something about those two towns in history class some years ago, but nothing more. He was ready to say something but noticed that Hakkai's body was beginning to fade.

"Hey, you leaving?"

/No, I am just very weak right now. It happens when I am in this form for to long. I bid you farewell until later./ He said and faded away completely.

/

Gojyo found himself in the house, but everything was different. He looked around the house, wondering what had happened to all his stuff. The whole place was quiet except for the fire that burned in the hearth. He felt the warmth of the fire as he approached it and stood before it. Looking out the nearby window, he saw that the road was no longer there, and that it was replaced by plain dirt. Even a man, dressed like Hakkai was, rode down the dirt street on a horse.

"I must be dreaming" Gojyo said out loud to himself.

"And you are." He gasped and turned around at the familiar voice, seeing Hakkai sitting cross-legged on the couch. "You are in a dream right now, Gojyo. A dream world that you created. You sure do know a lot about my time, being so much older than yours." Gojyo just looked at him with the same kind of shock as he had done before. Hakkai smiled and got up, walking over to him. This time, Hakkai took his hand and he could feel him! Gojyo could feel Hakkai's hand in his!

"Hakkai, I can feel you!" Hakkai smiled.

"Yes. I entered your body and mind, helping you create this dream state. I did it once with your relative, but he paid it no mind. Let's try that handshake now. Hello Gojyo, I am Hakkai." Gojyo smiled and took his hand, shaking it. Hakkai was no where as frightening now like he was as a ghost.

"Hello Hakkai, my name's Gojyo."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Gojyo. Come sit with me and we can get to know each other more. Since we will be living together, that is." Gojyo smiled and sat on the couch with him

"This is really weird." Said Gojyo, looking around "Strange as hell." Hakkai chuckled.

"Your vocabulary is quite unique." Gojyo raised an eyebrow.

"It is? I wouldn't think so. But I guess words change over time. You talk all proper and polite, no where near like me." Hakkai folded his arms.

"I happen to be a gentleman. We speak politely in company."

"Eh, whatever. Usually, only rich people speak like you do in my time." Hakkai turned his body so he was facing him on the couch.

"Tell me, what is this time like? What are those strange, fast steel things that ride by? They make an awful lot of noise."

"You mean cars?"

"That big thing you came here in."

"Yeah, that's a car. A truck really."

Gojyo went on explaining to him about the various changes of technology. He told him all about televisions and phones, to washing machines and lawnmowers. They even got into a discussion about different types of food and drink. Even so far as to talk about music and movies, and instruments! Hakkai was fascinated by everything Gojyo was telling him, both shocked and surprised.

"Oh Gojyo, the world has come such a long way! Almost everything you have has replaced man power!"

"Yeah well, that's just the way it is."

"I think it is wonderful! When you unpack you must show me all these new, wonderful things! I am quite curious about them. Now, tell me about you." Gojyo frowned at that and turned away from him.

"I rather not." Hakkai blinked and unfolded his arms.

"I will not judge you, Gojyo. I was never one to judge a person no matter the reason. Everyone is human, we all make mistakes and we all have our flaws. Please, I really like you, Gojyo. I have not had a friend in many years. I miss having someone to talk to. If I know more about you, I can understand you better. And besides," he chuckled "Who am I going tell who will not run away screaming?" Gojyo chuckled at that too and sighed. He looked at Hakkai and noticed the honest, truthful smile on his face. Gojyo did not know what it was, but something about Hakkai made him feel secure. He never felt at ease as he did at this very moment in time. Or space, or dream, whatever it was. Hakkai just sat there with a friendly smile, waiting patiently.

"Well…I'm a love child. My father cheated on his wife with my mother, and I was born. Apparently, my mother died in childbirth and my father was left to care for me. His wife, my stepmother-" he paused as he tried to find the words, although it was painful. "My stepmother disliked me. She hated me. Every time she saw me, she would glare…she hated everything about me. My half brother cared for me, as did my father. My dad said that he would make up for her love as much as possible, but he died when I was still young. He got sick and passed away. I was only seven or eight at the time. So I was left with my stepmother. She used to beat me a lot, and yell at me, throw things…but I never blamed her for any of it.

It was all my fault. She went crazy because I was born, from a woman that my father loved more than her and she knew that. I'm all my mother, and she must have seen her in me every time she looked my way…So I got old enough, got out of high school, dropped out of college, worked long hours at grueling jobs, and paid my way through life…mostly by pocketing some gambling money."

Gojyo realized how much he was venting, and he did not notice it at all. He got caught up in his life story, letting Hakkai in on a little too much information. It had been a long time since he talked about it and it must have just rolled off his tongue. Gojyo was surprised when he felt a pair of arms encircle him. It was Hakkai.

"Oh Gojyo, that is a horrible story. It is a terrible thing for a child to go through. Yet you survived, and you have remained gentle. You are not a bad person at all. Even if you think that way, I do not believe it! You are a good person at heart! I can feel it! I may be dead, but I still remember the feelings of being alive. I feel your pain now, because I have taken this form in your mind. Oh Gojyo, I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you" Gojyo did not know what to do. Here was a ghost hugging him, and telling him what a great person he was. He could not help but smile, but could not bring himself to embrace Hakkai back.

"It's okay. I made it through the rain, right?" Hakkai pulled away and smiled with a nod.

"Yes, you have."

"Okay, now tell me about YOU. It's only fair that you tell me about you after you heard my story." Hakkai sat back in the couch.

"I am afraid I do not remember much, Gojyo." He said sadly. "I would love to remember everything…but I just can not…not at all."

"Not even a little? Anything at all?" Hakkai took a few minutes to think hard.

"I remember some things…I was an orphan. I never had any parents of my own. I grew up with the sisters at a church…then somehow I became a servant here. I remember something about it…how hard those times as a servant were. And there is…something else…that I cannot quite remember. A person…a good person…I…I cannot make out who they are, yet they feel so important. I already told you about Mr. Paul Revere…and the battle…but everything else is a blank. I am sorry Gojyo. I wish I could tell you more."

"Hey man, it's cool. Maybe you'll remember soon. Uh, just think really hard I guess. Say, speaking of guessing, maybe I can suggest some stuff that might ring a bell and make you remember!" Hakkai blinked slowly.

"Um…all right." Gojyo sat in deep thought.

"You said you weren't sick?" Hakkai shook his head "Were you in an accident? Like, being thrown off a horse?" He shook his head no again. "Did you, like, fall off a ladder here or something? Wait, you did say it was something really bad…" Gojyo thought again. "Were you…murdered?" Hakkai sighed.

"Gojyo, this is not working. Nothing you are saying is opening up any windows of memory to me. I am sorry, I know you are trying." There came a sudden loud, huge echoing banging that shook the whole house.

"What the fuck is that?!" Gojyo shouted.

"I believe someone is at the door!"

And with that, Gojyo sat strait up in bed. He clenched the sheets and was breathing heavily as a heavy pounding was coming from downstairs.

/

Gojyo quickly threw on his shirt and hurried downstairs to the front door. He fixed his hair a bit and opened the door. A young boy, about twelve years old, was standing there with a large bag filled with papers.

"Good morning, sir! I heard you are new in town and thought you'd want to get a newspaper. Its only thirty-five cents a week!" Gojyo rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Geez kid, it's too early for this kind of stuff. But whatever. Sure, I'll take a paper. Sign me up for one everyday."

"Thank you sir! Here you go!"

The boy handed him the paper and skipped off, whistling a little tune. Gojyo closed the door and looked at all the boxes in the living room and kitchen he needed to unpack. His eyebrow twitched at the thought of all the work he had to do. He still needed to call the cable company, and perhaps change phone services. The phone was already in working order, but it was the bill he was more concerned about.

He looked at the clock and gasped at the time. Seven o'clock was WAY to early to be up and about. Gojyo debated on going back to bed or getting started on his unpacking. After a few minutes, unpacking won over. He tossed the paper on the couch and went to work first in the kitchen, unpacking pots and pans and other things. Gojyo jumped when he heard the piano start to play again. He chuckled a bit and ran a hand through his hair.

"Shit, it's only Hakkai. Listen to me. I'm talking about a ghost as if he were a roommate, which I guess he has to be." He walked into the living room, still a little shaken by the keys moving with no one sitting at the bench. "Alright Hakkai, no need to be invisible." Hakkai's transparent body slowly appeared at the piano.

/Good morning, Gojyo. Lovely day, is it not?/

"Yeah, I guess. So I'm assuming you can recognize things like the outdoors and weather?" Hakkai stopped playing and laughed.

/Oh, of course I can, Gojyo! I remember feelings more than memories. I know the feeling of love and happiness, of pain and sorrow. The intimacy of two people, the warm, joyful feeling of being drunk-/ Gojyo laughed, cutting him off.

"You must REALLY miss the last two, huh?"

/How did you guess?/ He chuckled.

"Man, that has to suck. Being stuck here, not knowing why you're still here, unable to do all the things of a living…" he trailed off, seeing Hakkai's fallen face. "Oh, hey man, sorry. I guess I'm just, like, counting my blessings now? I mean, I bet I'm going to Hell when I die." Hakkai gave a forlorn smile.

/It is quite all right. Sometimes I wonder why I can not leave this place and enter Heaven or Hell./

"Maybe you're in Hell now." Hakkai looked at him.

/You may be right…/ he looked down at the piano keys. /Was I so horrible a person that I am destined to remain in this house until it crumbles? Or for the rest of eternity?/ He hung his head /Oh Gojyo, you can not even begin to understand this feeling…perhaps this is my penance./

"Penance? Then you have to look to atone for something, right?" Hakkai nodded.

/Yes…but how can I atone for something I have no recollection of? I do not know why I am here./

"Um, hey! I'm ready to start unpacking, so why don't I show you some of the cool things of the 21st century?" Hakkai smiled.

/Sure, why not. No use dwelling on this./

Throughout the day, Hakkai floated next to Gojyo as he unpacked and placed things up how he wanted them. Hakkai was more interested in the electronic kitchen devices such as the blender and toaster. He could not understand the loud, booming music coming from Gojyo's stereo, which seemed to rattle the windows. Hakkai preferred the soft, smooth music of his time. His eye twitched when he saw the various posters and framed magazine covers of half naked women go up on the wall. A few of the porno magazines that Gojyo had, thrown in the pile for later organization were opened. Hakkai shook his head at the sight of the women.

/Gojyo, honestly. What in the world do you call these? Are they prostitutes?/ he asked, crossing his arms. Gojyo laughed.

"Well, not really. They're porno stars."

/Porno?/

"That's a today term for sex, mostly on video and magazines. I have some videos too if you want to watch some later."

/No thank you. It is very disgraceful to women and you should be ashamed of looking at such things!/

"Are you serious?" Gojyo said with a smug grin. Hakkai looked firm but his lip started to twitch a bit and he turned his head to laugh politely.

/Well, it is disgraceful, but if they are WILLING to pose, then I do not see a problem in it. Can I see some more? I am curious as to how women have changed over time./

"Speaking of women. Once I go out on the town and pick up some lady company and bring them back here, I want you to stay put. Got it?" Hakkai smiled.

/Worried that I would scare them away?/

"Yeah, and also, I don't want you bothering me when I'm doing the deed." Hakkai laughed at that.

/Gojyo, I understand completely. Remember, I am a man too. A dead one, but I am still a man. No man wants to be interrupted during the 'deed'. However, I believe I have more respect for women than you do. Very rarely would I take a woman home. You have to understand that only prostitutes went home with men, not good, honest Christian women. The women of your day seem to have no modesty or respect for themselves./

"Yeah, today's world is completely different. It would take me a long time to explain it to you, but things have changed drastically. Wait until you see television! I'm going to call the cable service right now, so don't bother me when I'm on the phone. I need complete concentration while on the phone." Hakkai just rolled his eyes and disappeared.

Later in the day, after Gojyo had made all the necessary calls and unpacking, he flopped down on the couch to take a rest. Everything was out of the boxes, but still scattered about. He was just dosing off when he heard his cell phone ring from his pocket. He mumbled something incoherent and answered it. Hakkai had just appeared, sitting on the arm of the couch. He was curious about Gojyo's electronic devices. Gojyo noticed him but continued to talk on the phone and seemed annoyed. After a few more insults and a goodbye, he hung up.

"God damn it. So much for my pad!"

/Who were you speaking with?/ Hakkai asked and floated above him. Gojyo just looked at him with a slight glare.

"Dude, just sit on the arm or something. You floating above me is a little-weird." Hakkai sat on the top of the couch, crossed legs, his feet disappearing into Gojyo's body. Gojyo just looked from his feet up to Hakkai. "Excuse me, ghost or not, can you get your feet off of me? Or rather, OUT of me."

/Well, someone is in a nasty mood./

"Damn right I am! That call was from two guys I went to high school with and surprisingly still keep in touch with. They got evicted from their apartment. I told those two they would never make it."

/Ah, I see that money and public policies have not changed much./ Gojyo smirked at that.

"Nope. Still taxing you for everything."

/And kicking you out when you cannot pay. Or worse, you go to jail./

"Yeah, that happens too. Anyway, those two I just told you about are coming here to stay for a bit until they can get back on their feet." Hakkai smiled.

/You are a very good friend./ Gojyo rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Now go walk through walls, or something. I want to rest a bit." He said and closed his eyes.

/You certainly are a lazy one./ Hakkai said before fading away.

/

Gojyo was back in his dream state again, seeing the same colonial man riding the horse outside the window. Only this time, the area inside was filled with all his stuff. He smirked and flopped on the couch, resting his arms behind his back. Gojyo noticed that he did not see Hakkai anywhere so he called for him.

"Hey Hakkai! You here?" Sure enough, Hakkai came walking out of the kitchen with a loaf of fresh baked bread. He smiled when he saw Gojyo.

"Oh, hello again, Gojyo."

"You are in my mind again." He sighed "I can't blame you. You've been alone for over 200 years, you must want to talk." Hakkai placed the bread on the opened window frame to cool.

"I guess I am a little. I know I was always one to stay my distance from others and keep to myself. But from what I have gathered about you, Gojyo, is that you need someone." Gojyo scoffed at that.

"Get the fuck out of here! I don't need anybody! I'm fine by myself." Hakkai sat down next to him.

"I do not think that is the case." He smiled softly. "I believe at one time I thought just like you did, but something changed me…I just do not know what. I think that deep down you are looking for someone Gojyo. Someone who will accept you for who you are." Gojyo looked at him in shock and suddenly stood up to tower over him.

"I think you are going a little to far into my head! It's not possible that you could know all that stuff without digging deep into my head to figure it out!" Hakkai stood up and faced him, not backing down.

"I did not pry into your mind, Gojyo. You let me in, whether you wanted to or not. I just know the type of person you are, Gojyo! Like I said, I believe I was once just like you but I changed!" he took his hands. "Listen to me, Gojyo. I am not judging you, nor am I trying to find out all your secrets. I just…recognized what you are feeling in here." He placed his hand over Gojyo's heart.

"Get off of me!" Gojyo pushed him away. "Your ghostly shit might make me have a heart attack or something!" He stormed away from Hakkai, heading up the steps. Hakkai followed him into Gojyo's room.

"I do not understand why you are so mad." He said to Gojyo, who had his back to him and looking out the window. Gojyo did not answer him but continued to stand there. "Gojyo, I really do not understand." He walked up next to him. "Are you afraid of something?" Gojyo still did not answer him but glared at the outside. Hakkai looked out the window too and they both stood in silence for a bit until Gojyo spoke.

"Hey…going back to what you said earlier…you don't come off as a bad person." Hakkai looked at him. "You said you think you were a bad person, but I don't see how that can be. There must be another reason." Hakkai closed his eyes and smiled.

"Perhaps you are right, my friend. You yourself think you are a bad person, but you are not. I guess in some ways, you and I are the same." Gojyo finally smiled.

"I think you're right. Sorry I got so mad before…I was just, surprised I guess. Surprised that you hit the nail on the head…even I didn't really know that about myself until you said something. Guess I just kept it hidden all this time, or didn't want to admit it." Hakkai wrapped his arm around Gojyo's shoulders.

"Let's really be friends, Gojyo. We both need a friend."

"Yeah, we're friends." He wrapped his arm around Hakkai's shoulder. "I guess I don't have to worry about you going anywhere, huh?" Hakkai chuckled.

"Nope. You are stuck with me, my friend."

The next day, Gojyo was finishing up decorating the house and putting the smaller things in their proper places. He was finished by mid afternoon and left Hakkai to guard the house while he went to pick up some groceries. He had to drive around the town for a bit until he came to a general store, which seemed to be the only food market in town. Parking the truck in a hopelessly small spot, (hoping no one else will park near him) he went into the store and looked around. No one else was in there except for the cashier.

"Hello sir. Haven't seen you around here before."

"Yeah, I'm new. I just moved in a couple days ago." Gojyo replied as he walked up to the counter, seeing cigarettes behind the cashier. "Got any Hi-Lites back there?"

"Yup, we got them."

"Okay, I'll get them when I'm done. Hey, are there any, like, supermarkets around here?" he asked. "I saw a liquor store, but it looks pretty small." The man laughed.

"You must be from the city. The only supermarket we have here is a bit ways out of town. That's the city area, you're in the country. But my stuff is just as good! My produce is always fresh! And my prices are cheaper too!" Gojyo grinned.

"That's always a good thing."

"Yeah, I keep my prices low for honest reasons. So where do you live?"

"I live out on Locus Street. House 97." The mans' eyes widened.

"You live there?" Gojyo frowned.

"Uh, yeah."

"They say a ghost haunts it!" Gojyo rolled his eyes. He knew the ghost they were talking about was Hakkai, but he was not going to let on that he knew.

"Well, I haven't seen any ghosts. You guys just live in an old town with old stories." And idea suddenly hit him. "But don't you guys, have like-uh? Legends and stuff?"

"You mean the one about your house?"

"I guess, since you said a ghost haunts it. There's always a legend behind these things." The man scratched his head.

"Well, no one really knows. The only way to find out would be to look at the towns old records from when the place was built." Gojyo's eyes lit up.

"Hey, where can I find them?!" The man was surprised by Gojyo's sudden enthusiasm.

"Uh, you can't access them. They're behind closed doors at the library. You'd need special permission from the town community leaders. And they're a bunch of assholes and won't grant you that privilege."

'Shit!' Gojyo said to himself. "Alright, thanks man. I'm gonna go take care of my shopping now."

Gojyo picked up what he needed and paid the clerk. He thought about the records as he was packing the bags in the passenger side. Where there is a library, there is a librarian. And since most men are not librarians that means there is a woman behind the desk. And if there is a woman, there is room for Gojyo's charms. He grinned to himself and hopped in the car to find the library.

After a few constant circles and same trees, he managed to find the tiny library. Once again having to park in a small spot and cursing old-fashioned parking lots, he entered the library. He had to duck his head because the door was a bit too low for his height. The old floorboards creaked as he walked up to the desk and sure enough there was a middle aged woman there. He put on his charming smile as she looked at him over her glasses.

"Hey there, young lady." She looked unimpressed by his words and looks.

"May I help you find a book?"

"Yeah, I was wondering if you had any old books and records about this town. I'm new to the place and I'm curious about how it came to be." She tapped her pile of papers on the desk.

"Sorry young man. Those books are under lock and key. We have a small article about the starting of this town on the wall there." Gojyo folded his arms on the desk and smiled.

"Aw, come on don't be like that. Is there something top secret in those books?"

"I'm sorry sir, but you can not see those without papers from the township committee. Good day sir." She put her nose up. Gojyo's eyebrow twitched in frustration.

"Yeah, yeah." He said and walked out, spitting on the sidewalk as he went to his truck and headed home.

/

Gojyo wobbled into the door with his numerous grocery bags, refusing to make more than one trip. He managed to get them all on the kitchen table without dropping anything. As he was putting the food away, he thought back to the library and how close he had came to getting those records. He was even more pissed at himself for not being able to charm the old hag. Everything about Hakkai's past and death was a pure mystery to him and he was curious about it. Even more so now that he knew all these 'records' were behind closed doors.

"Hey Hakkai! You there?"

/You summoned?/

"I came THIS CLOSE!" he showed him with his thumb and forefinger "THIS CLOSE to learning about your past!" Hakkai's eyes widened at that.

/How did you ever manage that?/ Gojyo told him about what the shop keeper said and what he did to try and receive the records. Hakkai sighed sadly. /I see…I guess you can not just go up to the committee and say 'I have a ghost problem and would like to see what happened to him'./ Gojyo chuckled dryly at that.

"Yeah, guess not."

/Oh, your, what is it called- oh, cell phone! Was ringing while you were gone./

"It's probably the prick and the monkey saying that they're on there was and can't find the place." He sighed miserably and checked his voice mail, giving a dry smile. "Yup. I was right. Fucking bastards…"

/Oh Gojyo, a car just pulled up next to your truck./ Hakkai told him from the window. /It looks like something took a mallet to it./ Gojyo laughed and went to the door.

"Yup, that's them. You better go hide in a wall, or something." Hakkai pouted and faded away.

Gojyo stood on the doorstep, tapping his foot as Goku was struggling to carry their backpacks. Sanzo walked a few steps ahead of him, smoking a cigarette. Goku was whining at Sanzo as they walked to Gojyo. Both men stopped and looked at Gojyo, Goku with a smile and Sanzo with a trademark frown.

"Whoopie-Fucking-Doo! Look what the rats dragged in!"

"Fuck you, you worthless waste of skin." Said Sanzo, straight faced.

"Hey Gojyo! Nice house! Thanks for letting us stay here! Hey! I see grocery bags on the table! That means food! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!" He dashed passed Gojyo, dropping the bags and running into the kitchen. Sanzo just muttered under his breath and pushed passed Gojyo. Goku was rustling through the bags until Gojyo pulled him by the back of his shirt.

"You haven't even been here for more than a minute and you're already eating all my food!"

"WAH! But I'm hungry! Sanzo didn't feed me today!" Sanzo was too busy looking around at the house, frowning at the framed model pictures on the wall.

"Rather them be guys, Sanzo?" Gojyo grinned at him as he came from the kitchen, dragging Goku with him. Sanzo just 'hmphed' at him and tossed his cigarette into the stone fireplace. "Remember now, this is MY house. So you HAVE to treat it with respect! My house, my rules."

"Whatever."

"Hey Gojyo! Can we go pick out our room now?!" Goku asked him excitedly, jumping up and down.

"The only one big enough for you two is up the stairs and to the left."

"Okay! I'll go-" Goku stopped and blinked, then shook his head.

"What's wrong Goku?" Gojyo asked him.

"I thought I saw something…" he scratched his head. "But nothing's there…I could have sworn someone was just standing there by the door!"

Gojyo smirked as he had an idea. He was curious as to see their faces if Hakkai were to appear before them. If they were going to live here, it was not fair to Hakkai if he had to stay hidden all the time. Gojyo's smirk grew wider.

"Oh, that's just my other roommate." Goku and Sanzo both looked at him.

"Roommate?" Goku questioned, looking confused. "But you said no one was with you." He smirked again.

"I lied. I do have a roommate. He's older than all of us put together!" Goku was still confused and Sanzo did the calculation in his head.

"That would make him over 60 years old, Gojyo."

"WAAAAAY over 60!"

"So you're living with an old man?" Goku raised an eyebrow.

"Well, PHYSICALLY he's not old."

"What the FUCK are you talking about, cockroach?!" Sanzo hissed at him. He did not like these teasing games of Gojyo's.

"Hakkai! Come on out!" Gojyo called out, but Hakkai did not appear. Both men stared at him as he called for Hakkai again.

/You told me to stay hidden, did you not?/ Came Hakkai's voice from the room. Sanzo and Goku looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"I want you to meet your new roommates! Don't be shy now."

Hakkai then did appear, coming out slowly behind Gojyo. Sanzo and Goku just stared at him, their eyes wide and unblinking. Hakkai gave them a friendly smile and a tiny finger wave. Still, the two were left staring. Gojyo started to chuckle at their expressions.

"See? I told you he was older than us! He's from the Paul Revere days!" Gojyo jutted a thumb at Hakkai who gave him a strange look. "He pretty much owns this place and he can't leave, so you have to get used to him. He may be a ghost, but he's a friendly ghost, like Casper! He's harmless."

"Uh…." Goku just blinked and slowly walked up to Hakkai "Are you a…a real ghost?" Hakkai chuckled at that.

/Yes, I am a real ghost./

"Wow! Hey Sanzo! I'm talking to a ghost!" He grinned from ear to ear. "Hey! Can I like, go through you!?" Without awaiting an answer, Goku just jumped through him. Hakkai gasped at the sudden quick movement and his body disappeared where Goku had went through him. "WOW! That was so cool Sanzo! He's all cold and stuff! It kinda felt like snow!"

"Hey Goku! That was rude of you!" Gojyo scolded him. Hakkai chuckled politely.

/Oh, it is quite all right. Children can be curious creatures./

"HEY! I'm not a kid!" Goku puffed his cheeks out. Sanzo came up to Hakkai next, looking him up and down.

"He doesn't bite Sanzo" Gojyo smirked. "What's wrong? Scared of an itty bitty ghost?" Sanzo glared at Gojyo.

"I'm not scared, just surprised. I've seen worse and more frightening things in my time. Can't say that I thought I'd ever see a ghost."

/It is a pleasure to meet you two. Gojyo has told me much about you./

"That can't be a good thing." Sanzo said with a frown.

/He said very nice things about you./ Gojyo blinked

"I did?" Hakkai narrowed his eyes at him.

/Honestly Gojyo! They are not as bad as you made them out to be. You said they were your friends./

"yeah well…yeah I guess" he said. Goku suddenly took his hand and pulled Gojyo away from the other two. "What the hell, man?!"

"Gojyo," he whispered "Can you tell him, like, not to walk through our wall when Sanzo and I are- you know. It would be weird!" Gojyo smiled at Goku's shyness and ruffled his hair.

"No problem, monkey!" He waltzed over to Hakkai and pretended to put his arm around Hakkai's shoulders. "Hakkai, Goku has asked that you not walk through the wall while he and Sanzo are making the bed rock."

"GOJYO!?" Goku shouted, completely shocked. Hakkai threw his head back and laughed.

/That will not be a problem, Goku. I assure you./ He smiled at him. /Gojyo already told me to leave him alone when he is with the ladies./ Gojyo's chest swelled with pride.

"Is he a great guy or what!?" He said with a grin "he doesn't even care you two are fags!"

"Watch your mouth cockroach. You're the one who's in the closet." Gojyo glared at him with an aggravated smirk. "Bragging about how popular you are with the ladies is a way of hiding the fact that you want your little ghost boy there." Sanzo smirked as he lit up another cigarette. He was liking this.

"WHAT?!" Hakkai covered his mouth politely and turned his head away.

/Oh my. That was unexpected./

"Watch your mouth you filthy prick!" Gojyo grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "I can have any man I want, just like I can have any woman I want! I just prefer the ladies! And trust me, if I were gay, you'd be begging for me!" Sanzo pushed him away and narrowed his eyes.

"Oh please, doesn't my choosing of the monkey say anything about this? I choose a monkey over you." Gojyo felt his pride practically ripped in two by that statement. Goku whined at Sanzo for being cruel and Hakkai watched the spat from behind.

"All right that's it! Lets take this outside! I'll whoop your pansy ass!" Hakkai flew between them.

/Now, now gentlemen. There is no need to exchange fists./ Gojyo pointed his finger at Sanzo's face.

"Watch your mouth you rotten bastard. This is MY home!"

"Technically, it's his" Goku added, referring to Hakkai.

/Goku is right. This really is my house, so lets all try to get along somewhat?/ He smiled /I have not had so much excitement in this place for a long time! It is quite refreshing./ Gojyo sighed and flopped down on the couch.

"Yeah, yeah. Goku get your stuff and Sanzo's shit upstairs." Goku nodded and stumbled up the stairs with the bags. Hakkai looked from Sanzo to Gojyo as they were in a stare down.

/Oh my,' Hakkai thought to himself 'Things are going to be getting a bit noisy around here./

End Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Gojyo shot up from the bed, flushed and panting dripping with sweat. He noticed the bed sheets were wet at his crotch and he frowned at the uncomfortable feeling there. He threw the sheets off and swung his legs out of bed, kicking off his pajama pants. With his elbow on his knee and cheek in palm, he thought. He waited for his breathing to come back to normal and his body to cool. Damn. That was the best wet dream he had ever had! If that is even what it was. Hakkai could be in normal physical form in Gojyo's dreams, so maybe they really did have sex. But whatever it was, it was REALLY weird. No one would believe him if he said anything, except maybe Sanzo and Goku. But they did not count. Gojyo smirked and took out a cigarette from the nightstand and lit it. He took a deep drag and blew the smoke into the air, a look of pure satisfaction.

"Sex and smokes. Gotta love'em." He heard a pathetic moan come from somewhere in the room and he recognized it as Hakkai's. Hakkai came up through the floor and floated on his back, his hand sliding down to his pants in a wanton gesture.

/Damn you, Gojyo. Go back to sleep so we can fuck again./ Gojyo smirked.

"You'll just have to wait until tonight. What a wanton spirit you are." Hakkai came up between Gojyo's legs so his face was near Gojyo's sedated member. "Hey whoa, take it easy cowboy. There's not much you can do with that right now. And if you tried, that would just be fucking weird. I'd see myself through your head." He frowned as he imaged Hakkai blowing him in his ghost form. He could not believe he had even imaged it!

/Gojyo, I seriously doubt I could do that in this form. It would be like blowing cold air all over you./ Gojyo laughed.

"I guess so." There was a bang on the door.

"Gojyo!" it was Goku "Gojyo wake up! It's breakfast time! Sanzo made pancakes!" Hakkai smiled up at Gojyo.

/I will leave you to your breakfast with your friends. I need to rest for the day. That dream really took a lot of energy from me./ He winked. /I will be resting in the attic if you need me./

Gojyo winked back and watched him as Hakkai flew through the attic door. He got dressed and headed downstairs, hearing the familiar sound of Goku's loud chewing. Sanzo stood over the stove, pouring more pancake batter onto the griddle. Gojyo smirked and walked back Sanzo, stopping to give him a kiss on the neck.

"Morning honey" Sanzo swung the spatula at him, just missing Gojyo's head who had the foresight to duck.

"Fuck you, asshole. I'm only doing this because your idea of breakfast, or any food in general, is by combining all things edible in the fridge! I'm not eating your poison."

Gojyo ignored him and sat down on his side of the table, taking three pancakes off the plate in the center. He went for the syrup bottle but found it empty. He eyed it suspiciously then looked over at Goku, whom had syrup spread all over his mouth. He instead took a large scoop of butter with his knife and plopped it on top. As he ate, he thought back to his dream and coupling with Hakkai. A part of him could not believe that it was real, but he knew it was. He had really begun to develop feelings for his ghostly roommate, and all in a couple of days. Now he needed to know what happened to Hakkai. Somehow, he had to get to those old records, his only chance of finding out about Hakkai. But how to go about doing it…

"Sanzo! Goku!" He almost shouted their names, making Goku choke on a pancake and Sanzo to nearly throw the spatula. "I need your help!"

"What the hell, cockroach!?" Sanzo hissed at him.

"I need your expert skills in 'breaking and entering' " He smirked. Goku blinked and looked at Sanzo, who gave Gojyo the evil eye.

"Why are you asking for them?"

"I need to find out about Hakkai. I'm sure you two are just as curious about him as I am. The town library has all their old records behind closed doors. I couldn't get in last time I tried. I know you two are good at breaking in, having enough experience. So the three of us will bust into the library and find the records! You in?" Goku grinned.

"Hell ya! I'm in!"

"Tch…I really rather not." Sanzo glared.

"Aw come on Sanzo! We can find out about Hakkai! Besides, we haven't done a job like that in a long time! Please Sanzo?" Goku begged him.

"He'll let you be on top tonight" Gojyo added with a smirk that rewarded him with a flying knife whooshing past his head. "HEY! You could have hit me you fucking fruit!"

"Goku knows what to do. You don't need me. You two can go and steal what you want. I'll stay here." Goku grinned.

"Okay! Don't worry, Gojyo! I'll help you get in lickedy-split!" Gojyo grinned back.

"It's settled then. Be there, or be squared."

Later that night, Gojyo and Goku walked into town, looking for the library. Gojyo's knowledge of the town was still fairly new and he was not sure where everything was just yet. They could not ask anyone, in fear that if something got out about what was happening tonight, they would be screwed. Gojyo remembered one of the street names from before and knew that the library had to be down the road to the left.

When they found it, the two hid in the bushes until the last person left the library, locking up the doors. They sat in wait a bit longer, watching the other stores and buildings around them to also close up. After twenty minutes of waiting, Goku peeked out of the bushes and declared the coast clear. Keeping low, the two snuck around the back to where the basement doors lay, a heavy chain and lock around the handles.

"Can you get through that, Goku?" Goku nodded.

"Watch me!" From his pocket, he took out a small pin and set to work at the lock. Gojyo  
kept an eye out for any passer bys.

"Hurry up already, will ya!?"

"Don't rush me! This isn't easy you know."

"I don't recall MacGyver having all this trouble!" He hissed. Goku rolled his eyes.

"MacGyver would be in some area with useful material and a script. I'm real!" And with that said, the lock fell open.

"Beat that!" he said proudly, sticking his pick back in his pocket. "Lets go!"

Gojyo took out his flashlight and lit the way for them, taking special care not to trip over anything. The basement was large, with boxes upon boxes of books. He spotted the door in the center and hurried to it, making sure Goku was sticking close behind. Gojyo jiggled the handle and the door opened immediately, having not been locked. The two entered the main area and Gojyo turned off his flashlight, having the street lamp outside and the moon to give them enough light.

"If I remember correctly…the files were behind closed doors behind the desk."

"Then lets look there." Goku jumped over the desk and looked at the door that was labeled "PRIVATE". "That says it all." He looked at the locks, frowning at the sight. "Three locks." Gojyo joined him and whistled.

"You'd think this was Operation Blue Book or something."

"Whatever it is, it's important. They must be hiding something." He went to work at the locks. "They wouldn't have this place all locked up like this."

"Less talking, more picking! I want to get what I need and get out of here."

"Asshole." Goku mumbled under his breath and continued working at the locks until he finally had all three picked.

"Total time, half an hour." Gojyo said flatly, looking at his watch. "And here I thought you were good at this." Goku glared at him and flashed him the bird before opening up the door.

"I got you in here, didn't I?" Gojyo rushed passed him and entered the small room, looking around. The files were all in labeled boxes and covered in dust.

"All right, start looking! We need to find 1775."

"Why 1775?" Gojyo rolled his eyes.

"That's around the time that Hakkai died! Now shut up and start looking!"

Goku mumbled under his breath and searched through the boxes, checking the file tabs. Gojyo worked at the other end, choosing to start on the bottom shelf and so on up. When he got to the right end of the second shelf, he noticed a tab that said "Obituaries".

"This has to be it! Goku, keep looking anyway. See what else you can find!" Gojyo opened up the thick file and carefully search through the papers, looking closely at dates. He found the smaller folder tab that read "1775" and opened it. What he found was a bunch of newspaper clippings. One headline caught his eye and he held it up, careful as to not let the fragile paper crumble too much.

"SERVANT MURDERED FOR UTIMATE SINS" "This is it!" He whispered to himself. "GOKU! Listen to this!" He began to read out loud.

" 'In the evening of the great Town Feast, a group of men invaded the house of a wealthy homeowner on Locust Street. The victim, known only as Hakkai, was a faithful servant of the owners, caring for the house and children, as well as a minuteman in the battle of Lexington. Word around was that he was laying with his sister and also enjoying the company of men and women."

"Whoa, whoa back up! Hakkai screwed his sister?!" Goku asked, shocked.

"Let me continue! 'The mob of men, lead by William Cornwall, invaded the house when the masters were not home and abducted the servant. The children, after talking to their parents, explained in detail what had happened. The servant was brutality murdered outside his residence and buried in a hallow grave. William Cornwall has refused the release of any other information regarding his decision. The owners are calling for a pardon for their servant but their plea will continue to be ignored.' That's all it says." He said softly, hanging his head. "So Hakkai was murdered…"

"But they didn't say 'how'."

"Doesn't matter right now. If I tell Hakkai this, he might remember everything else! Lets hurry up and get back! This is all I need. We can always come back."

/

Sanzo sat in front of the television, sipping on a cup of coffee and watching the evening news. He kept glancing outside the nearby window for Gojyo and Goku to return. He nearly jumped ten feet when he heard the piano start to play, and managed to spill some of his coffee. He hissed and stood up, wiping the front of his pants with the couches' arm cover.

"Damn it, Hakkai! Don't fucking do shit like that! Look what you made me do?!" Hakkai slowly appeared at the piano.

/I apologize, Sanzo. I seem to forget that I now have residents here./

"Whatever." He sat back down, slamming his coffee cup on the table and turning off the television. "Play some more." Hakkai looked over at him and smiled.

/Are you sure?/

"Yeah. It's relaxing. I want some peace before fag and fag-ette come back." Lying back on the couch, he lit up a cigarette and put his hands behind his head. Hakkai went back to playing, starting with songs he wrote and others he could remember. "Hey, you know Greensleeves or something? I don't recognize any tunes you're playing." Hakkai chuckled.

/You will have to hum a bit for me so I can remember. Is that all the music you know?/

"The only music I know by name. That and the Blue Danube. Oh wait, that was composed long after your time, nevermind."

/Well, are you going to hum for me?/ Sanzo hmphed and blew out a puff of smoke.

"I don't hum. Just play whatever music you feel like." Hakkai went back to playing, choosing to now play softer tunes to try and ease Sanzo's tension, which he knew probably would not work.

/By the way, Sanzo, where are Gojyo and Goku? They are not in their rooms./

"They went to find out stuff about you." Hakkai stopped in his playing, staring wide eyed at Sanzo.

/Are you serious/' Sanzo nodded.

"That asshole better look in to finding a job rather than spend all day playing forensic detective."

/I believe he said he is working at home from his, computer, is it?/ Sanzo scoffed.

"Lazy bastard. I at least leave the house for a job. I got a call back today and I'm a bartender. I start tomorrow night."

/Congratulations, my friend./

They both stopped and turned towards the doorway as they heard it open. Both Goku and Gojyo walked in, Gojyo going immediately to Hakkai.

"Hakkai! I found out how you died!" Hakkai sat down at the piano seat and looked at him.

/What is it?/

"You were murdered." Hakkai's brows went up in sadness and he shook his head.

/Damn it all. I still cannot remember, Gojyo! I do not remember anything about a murder. Are you sure?/

"Yes! It said the same street as us! Locus Street! And you were only known as 'Hakkai' " Hakkai nodded slowly, his eyes wide.

/Yes, it has always been Locus Street…did it say anything else?/

"Yeah, it said that there was a town feast or something and whoever employed you were there, and something about two kids. A mob of people led by-shit, Goku, do you remember the name? The guy who led the mob?" Goku shook his head.

"Uh-uh. Didn't it say something else like he slept with his sister or something?" Hakkai gasped after he heard Goku's words and clutched his head, bending over.

/I…I…remember something! What is it? Who is it?!/ The other three just watched as Hakkai started to glow a light blue, and then immediately backed up. /Someone…something…sister? Sister…sister…WHY CAN I NOT REMEMBER!/ He shouted and flew up through the ceiling, disappearing from sight.

"HAKKAI!" Gojyo called and ran up the steps, searching the rooms for him. "Where are you?!" He went into his room and looked around, still not seeing him. He looked at the attic door and knocked on it. "Hakkai?"

/Go away! I want to be alone!/ Gojyo sighed and opened the door, heading up the steps.

"Hakkai, please, I didn't mean to upset you. I was only trying to help." Hakkai was floating in the corner in a sitting position, his face buried in his hands.

/I said I want to be alone…please, go away./ Gojyo walked over to him and knelt in front of him.

"Hakkai…I don't know why you can't remember. With what I told you, you should be able to remember something." Hakkai would not look at him.

/Gojyo…I do not remember. You said something about a sister…my sister. I can not remember a sister…not even my murder./

Gojyo hung his head and for awhile the two sat in silence. Gojyo could not think of any other way to try and get Hakkai to remember. He thought that what he found out tonight would have been the all that ends all. But the problem lay within Hakkai. That had to be what was preventing him from remembering. But what else could he do? He did not even believe in ghosts until he met Hakkai. And with that, he knew NOTHING about ghosts! Other than the fact they are dead and are portrayed in horror movies and campfire stories as evil.

How was he going to find out about ghosts? He figured he would probably have to go to the library, where he just was. However, he would have to wait until tomorrow night for he had to work tomorrow. Even though he can work from the computer, it still hindered him from doing what he wanted.

/I wish to be left alone for bit longer, Gojyo./ Gojyo nodded and stood up, leaving the room.

Sanzo and Gojyo sat at the kitchen table, enjoying a cup of coffee in the late evening. Gojyo glanced at the clock and frowned at the fact that it was 3:00am. He had never stayed up this late if he was home, being out on the town something different. But he could not stop thinking about Hakkai, nor was he tired at all. The mystery behind Hakkai's memory and death intrigued him. Figuring out the mystery of Hakkai was more important to him than sleep, not even when they could sleep together again. That thought made him frown even more. He would rather have sex and clear his mind than dwell and wonder on a topic. There was no surprise that he was a high school dropout. He glanced at the clock again and only a few minutes went by, which he let out a grunt in annoyance.

"What the hell's your problem? Stop thinking so hard or you'll loose what few decent brain cells you have left."

"Fuck you, asshole. I could be in my dreams screwing Hakkai right now but I'm stuck pondering on his ghost form." Sanzo sipped his coffee.

"You should go to a physic or something. One of those crazy people that talk to spirits or whatever. Or better yet, go to the library and READ UP on ghosts." Gojyo rolled his eyes.

"I hate reading anything that doesn't come with a set of tits and ass."

"Or dick and balls in your case now."

"Hey, hey! I can like both! At least I'm not a full blown fag like you!" Sanzo glared at him.

"I've had my fair share of women too. More than you've ever had I bet." Gojyo scoffed.

"Fat fucking chance! I have a CHARMING smile that just allures the ladies, and I don't even have to speak a word." He said proudly

"I'm better looking than you, though. Everyone prefers blondes."

"Hey, redheads are pretty rare!"

"So is blonde. Plus, I have rare, violent eyes." Sanzo smirked and Gojyo could not say anything about that, for he did have exotic eyes. His were an odd shade, but sometimes frightened people rather than stun them. Gojyo decided to change the subject.

"So, a physic huh? You think some crazy person with a crystal ball can tell me what I want to know?" Sanzo shrugged his shoulders.

"Possible. I really don't believe in that shit, but it will probably ease your mind a bit. But now that I know ghosts actually exist, I'm almost likely to believe anything dealing with the paranormal." Gojyo chuckled.

"It's settled then. Tomorrow I'll look in the phonebook for a physic. This town is so fucking old that they have to have things like that." He stood up. "It's settled. I'm going to go plop myself on the couch and watch some TV. You coming?" Sanzo finished his coffee.

"I'm heading to bed. Unlike you, I have a real job." He said and put his mug in the sink before heading up the stairs. Gojyo muttered some curses to Sanzo under his breath and flopped on the couch, flipping the television on.

The next morning, he had slept on the couch last night, with no dreams of Hakkai whatsoever. He was woken up by Goku's heavy footsteps running down the stairs, followed by Sanzo's slow ones. He felt a cold draft on his face and opened his eyes to see Hakkai floating before him.

/Are you alright? You slept on the couch./ Gojyo yawned and sat up, stretching.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just lost track of time. How are you?"

/Fine. Sorry about last night. I was too weak to come and visit your dreams./

"Yeah I know. I missed you." Hakkai chuckled.

/I promise to make it up tonight. What are your goals for the day?/

"Oh, I'm going into town to do a few things. All of us are, well, all meaning Goku, Sanzo, and I."

/Like what?/

"Just stuff."

/Do you not have work?/

"Pfft, it could wait until tonight." Hakkai raised his eyebrow but chose not to say anything more.

"Cool! Where we going?!" Goku asked excitedly, chugging down some orange juice.

"Shopping"

"That's boring!" Said Goku "I wanna-" Sanzo hit him with the spatula "OW! SANZO!?"

"We're going so shut up." Was all Sanzo said as he turned back to making his omelet. Hakkai just looked at all three of them and nodded softly.

/Okay then, I will watch the house. I will go rest some more. Enjoy your day./ Hakkai said and flew up through the ceiling.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Sanzo asked. Gojyo just shrugged his shoulders. "I found a psychic while you were snoring, I check the phonebook. There's one right in the center of town, on the main drag. We'll leave after breakfast." Goku just blinked at Sanzo's back and Gojyo left to go get dressed.

The three of them squeezed inside Gojyo's truck, Goku being in the middle since he was the smallest. Sanzo just stared out the window, looking about ready to fall asleep. Gojyo thought about this physic, and what she could possibly say about Hakkai. He was not even sure if he believed in that 'spirit world' connection. As a dare one time, he called a psychic from an ad inside one of his girly mags to find out if his "lover" was cheating on him. The physic told him that she was with a guy named "James" or "Jed". It was clearly a set up, so he was skeptical about this meeting.

When they got on the main drag, he slowed down so they could keep an eye out for the shop. Sanzo read the direction sheet and led them all the way down the main street until they came to a crossroad, and had to go back. They had missed the shop somewhere along the way. Gojyo mumbled and did a 'K' turn, going back down the road. Goku then shouted and pointed.

"There! There it is! Miss Chloe's shop!" Gojyo paralleled park in front of the shop and the three got out. Gojyo looked the shop over, raising an eyebrow at all the strange symbols, stars, moons, and other strange things he could not make sense of.

"How did we miss this bright purple sign?" Sanzo asked, putting out his smoke on the sidewalk.

"I'm just losing my mind." Gojyo said and opened the door, the others following him. The shop was small on the inside, with red carpet and purple walls heavily decorated with artistic things. Goku sniffed the air, marveling at the incense that mingled in the room. Gojyo rang the bell at the small desk and a voice answered from in the back of the room.

"Welcome to my shop, gentlemen." Said a middle-aged woman, dressed in a colorful, fancy robe with strange arm markings and jewelry. "How may I serve you?"

"Uh…well, we have a ghost living with us." Started Gojyo.

"Yeah, and he doesn't remember who he is and stuff like that!" Added Goku.

"And he can't pass on, or whatever it is you refer to ghosts as." Said Sanzo.

"Ah, so you want to make contact with the spirit world, yes?"

"Pretty much."

"Come into the back room, and have a seat at the table."

They followed her into a dimly lit room filled with candles and even stronger incense. Goku sneezed and rubbed his eye, the scent being a bit too much. Sanzo was the first to take a seat, crossing his arms and frowning at the woman. Gojyo hissed as he accidentally walked into the tiny chandelier above the table, hitting his forehead. He grumbled and sat down, folding his arms on the table. Goku plopped down and rest his hands behind his head, getting comfortable. The physic took her seat at the head of the table.

"So you wish to help your ghost friend then?" She asked with a soft smile.

"We just need to find out about him. We don't know much about ghosts at all." She closed her eyes and nodded.

"All right, lets begin the ritual. Everyone join hands."

"Why?" Asked Sanzo.

"Shhh. I need you to concentrate if we are to make contact." Sanzo rolled his eyes but joined hand with the others in a circle. "Everyone close your eyes, and picture your ghost in your mind. Do not fear anything that may happen, please remain calm, and act in a serious manner."

She started chanting softly in an unfamiliar language and Sanzo was finding it hard not to stray his mind away from the mental image of Hakkai. He was having a real hard time believing in this whole 'ritual' thing was actually going to work, but then again, he also had not believed in ghosts until a few days ago. Goku could not help but picture Hakkai and a meatbun, or rather, Hakkai sitting ON the meatbun. Gojyo was the only one to keep a steady image of Hakkai, and he hoped the others were doing the same. He too was finding it hard to believe, but they told her nothing about Hakkai, so they could catch her in a lie.

"Your ghost is a young man…perhaps in his yearly twenties. He's tall, fair of skinned, dark hair and spectacles…" Sanzo peeked his eye opened for a second and looked at her then closed it again. Gojyo's eyebrow twitched and he felt chills run up his spin as she stated Hakkai's description. "Colonial America…the country still young…a God fearing and superstitious town…" Sanzo could not believe his ears, now he has seen and heard everything. Goku had to open his eyes and blink in amazement, but quickly closed them again. "He's poor…a solider…a working boy, or servant…caregiver of two children…a little boy and girl…now I see two girls…a young woman, much like the ghost in features…a sin…a taboo…and punishment…death by hanging…the children screaming in terror…an angry mob…a familiar face to all leading it…"

"Who is it?!" Gojyo spoke aloud, letting go of their hands and opening his eyes. Sanzo and Goku did the same, but the psychic kept hers closed.

"I can't see the face…it is a man…tall, powerful…confusion and anger, also compassion…and love." She was silent for a few minutes and the three watched her facial features. "Something is wrong…"

"What's wrong?" Gojyo asked

"There's more to this story…but a great force is blocking it…your ghost is unable to pass over…because of the power of hatred and anger from this man is forbidding him to do so…this man issued the warrant and permission for your ghosts' murder…and likely led the mob…wait…I see a tree….a large one…and a graveyard…a hollow grave…no marker….buried with other sinners…" Goku's eyes were wide as he listened intently and Sanzo was dumbfounded.

"What else is there about the ghost? His name is Hakkai!"

"Hakkai…" she whispered. "I'm not channeling him. The man's power is too strong to break through…" she let out a breath and opened her eyes. "I couldn't get any further than that…"

"Its alright, that helped us out a lot!" Gojyo told her.

"Tell us about 'ghosts'." Sanzo ordered her. "We don't understand one little thing about them." She folded her hands in front of her.

"Ghosts are floating spirits, confused, lost, driven by an emotional power to finish something they may have started. Ghosts come in all forms…perhaps as orbs, or glowing lights. They cannot pass over to the other side for specific reasons of their own. Your ghost, Hakkai, is unable to pass because a force is preventing him to find eternal peace. This man, he is punishing Hakkai by keeping him in his own Hell, trapped inside the house. Most likely, the murder happened in or outside the house."

"You said you saw a tree." Sanzo pointed out. "We have one tree in our backyard, a large old oak tree, with one thick low branch." Goku piped up.

"Hey yeah! I remember when I climbed it, I felt kinda funny…like something was there…or the tree was talking!"

"Something happened at that tree." She said softly. "What you felt was a strong aura of mystical energy. I'm sure if you could talk to that tree, it would have millions of stories to tell you."

"What about the graveyard?" Gojyo asked. "There's one behind our house, far away though, but close enough that we can see it from the back windows!"

"Sinners such as Hakkai were not buried in graveyards, but hallow, unmarked plots, usually dense forests or fields. However, what happened to your ghost was a murder, issued by a man who must have had some great power over the town, such as a judge or township official. But he would have been convicted and put on trail, for not consulting with the state leaders. He must have hid Hakkai's body somewhere so no one would suspect or find it."

"If you said sinners weren't buried in graveyards, then that's probably where he is!" Sanzo said, slamming his fists on the table. "They must have buried him in the graveyard somewhere!"

"Ew, that's creepy!" Goku said, getting a shiver. "He's like, talking to us in one place, and laying in a hole in another…wouldn't a dog or something dig him up?"

"Shut up, Goku! Or I'll lose my breakfast!" Snapped Gojyo.

"But he might not have buried Hakkai in the graveyard on our property, but in another since ours would be too obvious." Stated Sanzo. "Or, he did bury him there, thinking that others would think the way I just did." He put his chin in his palm and thought.

"How do we save him?" Gojyo asked "How do we help him move on?" Gojyo stopped at that, thinking about what he said. If Hakkai moved on, then he wouldn't live with them any more. Gojyo would never be able to see him again until he died, and he planned to live a long, long time. He clenched his fists at the selfish thoughts he was thinking. To keep Hakkai bound for another seventy or eighty years would be so selfish of him, since Hakkai had been stuck on Earth for a while. He was so confused…

"That young man…is difficult. Hakkai is behind a barrier. A powerful one. He can't leave the house, therefore, the power barrier is somewhere in the house. Tell me, is there any room he does not go into?" All three of them thought and shook their heads. "Are there any rooms you haven't discovered yet?"

"Discovered?" Goku questioned. "You mean there's more rooms?!"

"Possibly." She said.

"We haven't seen any," Said Sanzo "And those houses usually don't have basements. Maybe wine cellars…"

"My advice to you would be to call in a priest to look at the house. If this is indeed a spiritual barrier, the priest may be able to break it. I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."

"You've done enough, thank you" Gojyo told her, shaking her hand.

"One more thing. Go to the town library under 'History', and look up your street in the town almanac. There will be a listing of houses and photos, all by street. Perhaps you'll find something there, like a wine cellar or a missing room."

"Thanks, we'll do that. How much do I owe you?" Gojyo asked, reaching for his wallet.

"It's on me, gentlemen. This is a most unfortunate event and I can't take advantage of your situation."

"Thank you very much! That's very generous of you."

"Good luck with your search." She waved in a friendly manner as they left. The three walked to the truck and climbed inside, Gojyo starting the engine.

"Do you think we really need a priest?" Goku asked, raising an eyebrow in thought.

"Lets go to the library first and look around there." Sanzo suggested. "We'll use the priest as a last resort."

/

Indeed, things did get pretty noisy. Hakkai took a place at the dinner table and watched as the food went flying past him. Gojyo and Goku had started a food fight, a small one that consisted of peas and corn. Sanzo was ignoring them completely and reading the paper.

"ACK! You got it in my hair you stupid monkey!"

"You threw it at me first!"

"You wouldn't stop piling up your plate! Save some for the rest of us!"

"Well you cook really bad food! I need more to make up for the bad taste!"

"You stupid monkey! That doesn't make any sense!"

"Shut up or I'll kill you!" Sanzo finally threatened, pulling out a gun. Gojyo and Goku stopped immediately and reverted to glaring at one another. Hakkai could not help but laugh.

/Oh my, this is certainly the most excitement I have had. You are all very interesting./

"Yup, we're one of a kind." Said Gojyo, going back to his food. Goku got up to put his plate in the sink and looked out the window, seeing the graveyard.

"Hey look, a graveyard! Is that where you're buried, Hakkai?" Hakkai looked at him and shrugged his shoulders.

/I do not think I am. I really do not know where my physical body is./

"Please, I'm trying to eat!" Gojyo protested. Sanzo put down his paper and his lip went up in disgust.

"You're not buried under the floorboards are you? Or locked in some trunk in the attic?"

"Can I eat please?!"

/I do not know. All I know is that I am here and I cannot leave./ Sanzo put his paper up again, but spoke.

"You're a ghost, aren't you? You should know something about yourself."

/Only a few things./ Hakkai responded

"Ghosts usually remain on Earth because of what was going on before they died. Like unfinished business, or murder, a trail, or just looking for something important. That's why you're still here. Something happened that is keeping you here." Hakkai looked down.

/I did not know that. It makes sense though./ Goku left to put on his shoes and came back into the kitchen.

"I wanna go walk around, is that okay?"

"Just don't get lost" Sanzo told him from over the paper.

"I just wanna go see the cemetery and check out that HUGE tree! I want to climb it too!" Hakkai floated to the window and looked out at the tree.

/That tree has been here since before I can remember. It is much bigger and older now, but it is still standing. There is something about that tree though…something I remember about it. It could be anything though. I might have read books under it or something./

"It's a beautiful oak tree." Gojyo said, putting his empty plate in the sink. "I'll go with you, Goku." Goku smiled

"Yeah! Lets go! Show me around the place!" Hakkai smiled gently at Sanzo who hmphed and went back to his paper.

Outside, Goku ran a few feet ahead of Gojyo and over to the tree. He felt the large, think base and looked up at it. The leaves were healthy and green, giving a large canopy shade from the sun. Gojyo lifted him up to grab a branch so he could start climbing. If there was one thing Goku loved it was being outside. He almost lost his footing on one branch but continued to climb.

"Don't go too high, Goku!" Gojyo called out to him. Goku stuck his tongue out at him and flopped his bottom down on a branch. He swung his legs and hummed happily. Gojyo was getting tired of waiting for him so he sat down on the grass, his back against the tree. He took out a cigarette and lit it, blowing out a few donut hole clouds.

"Hey Gojyo! Can we go look at the graveyard now!?" Gojyo looked up at him.

"What the fuck do you care about a graveyard?"

"I just want to see it! I never lived by a graveyard before!" Gojyo glared.

"You're not living here! You're here until you can get back on your feet! I should just sell you to the zoo!"

Goku flicked him off before making his way down the branches. He caught something engraved on the bark of the trunk as he went down. Squinting his eyes, he crawled along the branch to look at it more. It was faded, but he could make out the letters "G" and "K", but nothing else. It looked like there was more, but he was not able to make it out. He shrugged his shoulders and went back down, waiting for Gojyo to give him a hand. Gojyo caught him and brought him back to the ground when he was taken by the hand and pulled to the graveyard.

Back in the house, Hakkai was watching them with a smile. He longed to go outside and feel the breeze, smell the air, and other things pertaining to nature. He missed things like that. He looked back at Sanzo who had finished reading the paper and put it down. His eyes met Hakkai's, who smiled at him.

"I still can't believe I'm talking to a ghost. And looking at one." Hakkai floated back over to the table and took a seat, really levitating over it.

/I am surprised you are not frightened of me./ Sanzo snorted

"Please, you couldn't scare a three year old on Halloween night." Hakkai looked at him sadly.

/You are probably right, Sanzo./ They were silent for a bit, then Hakkai spoke up. /So, you and Goku are together? You do not seem like a 'perfect' match./ Sanzo lit up a cigarette.

"Hey, stranger things have happened. I don't know why, but we are. And you're pretty laid back about this." Hakkai smiled.

/Well, I judge people by their character, not by their preferences. What you do with your life is up to you. It is yours to live it however you wish./ He folded his hands in front of him. Sanzo looked at him in slight surprise and raised an eyebrow.

"We think alike. That's the same motto the three of us have. Well, four now, since you're basically one of us and living here." Hakkai smiled happily.

/Thank you for accepting me, Sanzo. I appreciate it./

"Whatever. I'm going to go take a bath, so don't let those two assholes bother me. And don't think you're getting any free shows either. Respect my privacy." Hakkai laughed.

/Do not worry, I would never do something like that. I would not like it if someone did that to me./

Sanzo nodded and went upstairs to get his bath. Hakkai flew over to the piano and decided to play for a bit. He looked around at all of Gojyo's things and smiled softly, still playing. For so many years trapped in the house, he had not had anyone living there other than Gojyo's relative and Gojyo himself. The old man never took any notice of him, but Gojyo did. He smiled as he thought about Gojyo. The man was defiantly handsome and charming, which Hakkai knew was affecting him.

He had not thought about a person like this is years. But looking at the women on the wall, he knew he did not have a chance with him. He frowned gently and went back to his playing. It did not matter anyway. They could not be together even if they wanted too. Only in Gojyo's dreams was that possible, but if Gojyo has no interest in men, then he would not be worth anything. He could remember the feeling of being hurt and he could no longer play, now feeling depressed. He slowly faded away.

In the graveyard, Gojyo and Goku were sitting on an old stone bench under one of the trees. Goku was eating a battered sandwich he had shoved in his pocket for quick snacking and away from the eyes of Sanzo. Gojyo just smoked lazily and looked around at all the old graves. He got to thinking about when he died, and where his brother would put him. Gojyo wanted to be buried in his truck, but that was too much money for either of them. His mind started wandering off, thinking about death and Hakkai. The thought of death used to unnerve him, but now he does not worry about it at all. He figured that he could always float around with Hakkai if he were to die today. Wait, what kind of thought was that? He did not want to spend his afterlife locked up in a house! He wanted to go where everyone else goes, Heaven or Hell. Then he would ask if Hakkai could come with him. He was pulled from his thoughts by a harsh tugging on his hair.

"GOJYO! You're spacing out on me!"

"Shit Goku! That hurt!"

"Well you weren't answering me! What were you thinking so hard about? About Hakkai?" Gojyo looked at him and flicked his cigarette away.

"Kinda. About death in general. Looking around at all these graves and living with a ghost is changing my way of thinking."

"Hm…I'm surprised you're friendly with Hakkai. I mean, despite him being a ghost, his personality is that of one you never liked. The soft spoken and polite ones. You hate people like that." Gojyo looked up at the sky, watching the clouds pass by.

"Yeah well, Hakkai is different. He accepted me right away, even before he really knew me. Even you and Sanzo passed immediate judgment on me."

"Well, we didn't mean too. We know better now. But I think Hakkai is really nice and friendly!" Gojyo smiled.

"Yeah, he is. Defiantly not someone I'm used to talking with. The only time I can physical touch him, like shake hands and what not, is when I'm dreaming. He apparently enters inside my head or something and we can act like you and I are right now. Weird huh?" Goku got a sudden mischievous smirk and felt like aggravating Gojyo.

"Ooo, you DREAM about him? Isn't that IMPLYING something?" Gojyo sharply turned his head to glare at him.

"Are you fucking nuts? I didn't ASK him to invade my thoughts!"

"But you like it. And you like him!" Goku pinched his cheeks and grinned. "You want to bang a ghost!"

"GAH! Get your paws off me!" he shoved him away. "I don't lean that way, moron!"

"But you want to! You were just saying about how much you loved the fact that he accepts you! Hey! I bet he likes you too! He acts gay enough!"

"Will you shut that filthy monkey mouth of yours! Just because you're gay doesn't make ME gay!" Goku grinned.

"Ah! But I can see the signs, my dear friend! Tell me ALL about your dreams tomorrow!" he said and jumped up, laughing as he ran back to the house.

Gojyo growled and muttered under breath, crushing his tossed cigarette with his boot before heading to the house. He suddenly froze when he came to the tree, getting a strange feeling in his body. He raised a suspicious eyebrow as he looked at it, then got a sudden chill.

"Fuck this. I must be losing my mind all over again."

/

Gojyo awoke in his bed, recognizing it as his dream state. He looked around but did not see Hakkai anywhere. Usually he was there to greet him. Frowning, he got up and straitened out his pajama pants, the only thing he was wearing. He wandered around the house, but still there was no sign of Hakkai. Checking every room and finding them empty upset him in a subtle way. Where was Hakkai?

"Hakkai?"

He called out, but no answer. The one room he didn't check was the attic, so he headed there right away. He had no idea what was wrong with him, but he needed to find Hakkai. Opening the door to the attic, he walked up the few narrow steps and gasped softly. The attic was different from in real life! There were no sheets or junk piled around. There was a small end table, a pitcher and washbowl, a trunk, a small bookshelf, and a bed. And Hakkai was on the bed, sleeping peacefully. Gojyo could not help but smile at the sight and walked over to him. Hakkai's skin was a beautiful ivory, with no flaws at all, or that he knew of. His face was one of gentleness and light, almost like an innocent child. Gojyo felt something in his chest pulling softly and he thought back to Goku's words.

He frowned at the idea of being gay, but at the same time, it never really bothered him. If he had to have sex with a guy for some reason, he'd probably do it. He was a creature of pleasure and feeling, he smirked at his ego. He had gay men hit on him all the time, but never did anything with them.

"I can't help it that I'm gorgeous."

"Well, we are certainly full of our self?" Gojyo jumped slightly at the sound of Hakkai's voice. Hakkai was awake now and looking up at him with a smile. "I guess if I had your good looks I would be full of myself too." He sat up.

"Hey, you're not bad yourself. If you went out I'm sure the ladies would be fawning all over you." Hakkai chuckled.

"I had more drunken men after me then women. Rarely did good women flaunt their bodies and offer themselves to men. Some tavern wenches, but not the general population. Women were not even allowed in taverns for drinking. It was frowned upon. I am surprised that women of today go into, bars, as you call it, and try to pick up men and get drunk."

"Damn, that sucks. Keeping perfectly good women behind closed doors? That's just not honorable." Hakkai rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Remember the time, Gojyo. Christianity was our most popular religion, not all these new break offs that you speak of. People held tight to their faith and church."

"And you didn't?"

"Well, I was a different story."

"Maybe."

They sat in silence on the bed for a bit, both feeling a bit awkward in each other's company. Hakkai was thinking about Gojyo in a more romantic way, sneaking side glances at him. Gojyo's body was well sculpted and muscular, and undoubtedly hard. Hakkai was no stranger to men intimately, having had a few flings of his own in his time and just as much as women. He could go either way. But it was Gojyo who liked only women, and that fact made Hakkai's heart feel heavy. The emotion of tender love and companionship was making its way to the surface. He almost felt like crying. The feeling was so intense and he felt his pants start to tighten. He gasped softly and moved his leg up to cover his growing arousal.

Gojyo had been having the same thoughts as Hakkai. But his were more confused emotions. Hakkai had a great personality, with a tender face and attractive body. If he was a woman, Gojyo would have charmed him immediately. However, he was having those same feelings, but with Hakkai as a man, not a woman. Gojyo knew about gay sex, since he was a master of sex knowledge in general. Aside from reproductive gender organs, bodies were not that much different from one another. Then he thought about Hakkai's life as a ghost, and how lonely and deprived he must be. No sex in 200 years?! If Gojyo was a ghost, he would considered THAT the ultimate Hell.

Unconsciously, his head slid over to rest on top of Hakkai's, who made no sign of moving away. Gojyo saw a lot of himself in Hakkai, especially the way he is so accepting and kind. It reminded him of a mother almost. Growing up, he saw the way the mothers acted around their children, with all the love they received. Gojyo never had that motherly love, where he felt cherished, protected, and loved. Counting out one-night stands, he was never held gently, nor did he lay in the arms of another person. Making love and receiving love was something Gojyo had no experience with.

"Gojyo?" Hakkai's soft voice broke his thoughts

"Hm? Oh sorry, I got caught up in some memories…nevermind." Hakkai narrowed his eyes a bit and leaned up to give Gojyo a hard kiss. "Whoa…that was new." He grinned. "You that horny?"

"You try being dead for 200 years." He kissed him again, wrapping his leg around Gojyo's waist to pull him closer.

"Wow…this you remember though, huh?" Hakkai stroked the red locks and chuckled at the smirk that Gojyo gave.

"I was never a shy lover, but I did not just go with anyone, either. I had preferences for both men and women."

"Ooo, picky. So I'm guessing I fit in to your male 'preferences'?"

"Is it not obvious?" he teased and kissed his nose. "But you are far different from the men I usually went home with. I do not want this to be our only time together."

"You're a 'fuck'em and leave'em' guy, aren't you?"

"Your century's language is so direct and crude, but yes, I suppose I am. But I do not want to leave you." He wrapped his arms around Gojyo's neck and Gojyo in turn nuzzled into Hakkai's. "You know, we can only be like this in your dream, Gojyo."

"I don't care I just want you. If I have to live with you a dream world, so be it. I'll knock myself out with sleeping pills." He chuckled weakly. "You know, it's funny, how I suddenly feel so much for you so quickly. It's like the same feeling I had with my stepmother. No matter what she did, I always loved her. I just wish she had loved me back." Hakkai smiled and stroked Gojyo's hair softly.

"Do I act like your mother in anyway?" Gojyo moved up to his elbows to look down at Hakkai with a confused look.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

"I am simply asking if I resemble anything to her. You said you felt this way with me like you did your mother."

"Dude, I'm still not following you." Hakkai gave a look of amusement.

"You have a hard time catching on to things. Let me rephrase it. Do I act in some way that you wished your stepmother had acted towards you?" Gojyo's eyes slowly darted from left to right, clearly pondering on the question. Hakkai waited patiently, not saying a word. Gojyo then sat up on his knees to make himself more comfortable as he thought.

"Well…the way we are acting now, like how you were holding me, is what she used to do to my half brother…I really wanted that too. All the hugs, the gentle caresses, the sweet words…I guess…well… I guess I'm finding that in you, and that's why I jumped you so quickly like I did. Wait…what the HELL did I just say?! That's disgusting! I'm comparing you to my mother! That's not right!" Hakkai quickly sat up to soothe him.

"Gojyo relax. I am not disgusted by it. What you are thinking is perfectly normal for someone in your situation."

"But it's weird! I mean, you're not like her at all in personality, the way she was to me anyway. But-" Hakkai cut him off

"But you want to experience the emotion of motherly love, in any way you can get it. Did you ever think that that is the reason why you like to be in the constant company of women?" Gojyo narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, hey, I don't need a fucking ghost shrink here, okay! I just happen to love the ladies!"

"And just what are you doing now?" Gojyo opened his mouth then closed it. Hakkai chuckled and pulled him down into a kiss.

"I haven't been laid in three days."

"Oh boo-hoo." Hakkai said with a hint of a sarcastic tone.

"But I'm going to end this desperate need for both of us right now. So brace yourself!" Gojyo gripped Hakkai's brown hair tightly. "I tend to be a rough lover." Hakkai scoffed.

"On contraire, my dear friend. I've been known to leave lovers content and senseless."

"So it's a challenge then?" The thrust his hips into Hakkai's who moaned and nodded.

"Yes, it is a challenge. One I intend to win. Remember, I have 200 wanton years behind me."

He purred at him seductively and narrowed his eyes with a smirk. Gojyo felt himself grow fully erect at the sight before him and he crushed his lips to Hakkai's, forcing his mouth open with his tongue. Hakkai complied immediately and moaned into Gojyo's mouth, letting him dominate for a bit, then began dueling with his tongue. Hakkai lifted up Gojyo's shirt in an attempt to remove it, not wanting to break the kiss. Gojyo moved back a bit and helped to squirm out of his shirt. After the shirts followed their pants and soon the two were lying naked, locked in an embrace.

Gojyo started to kiss down Hakkai's neck, nipping at his collarbone and moving back up to nibbling behind his ear. Hakkai moaned and tilted his head to the side, rolling his hips into Gojyo's. He was enjoying the sensations that he hasn't felt in so many years, but the need to be taken was overpowering his other senses. He could not remember a time when he ached this much or if he was ever this desperate. But he wanted to put a quick end to it.

"Save all this sweet stuff for another time." He told Gojyo, gripping his wrist and bringing his fingers up to his mouth. Gojyo smiled as Hakkai took his fingers into his mouth and began sucking on them.

"You are certainly in a rush."

"I want you…and I want you now."

"Damn! You'll have me, baby."

He pulled his fingers from Hakkai's mouth and brought them down between his legs, poking at Hakkai's entrance. Hakkai groaned and pushed his hips down, trying to get Gojyo's fingers to penetrate. Gojyo wanted to make this more pleasurable for Hakkai, even though he didn't want it. He leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss as he slipped one finger inside as deep as it could go. Hakkai gasped into Gojyo's mouth, trying to pull away but Gojyo's hand in his hair prevented him from doing so. Hakkai spread his legs more and pushed onto the invading digit, asking for more. Gojyo complied and slipped in two more fingers at the same time, watching Hakkai's head fly back in a loud cry.

"Oh God…Gojyo!" he groaned and thrust his hips up, feeling Gojyo hit that special something inside of him that made him see stars.

"Damn you're responsive. I've hardly done anything yet!"

"Loose the fingers." Hakkai said in a slightly demanding tone. "I do not care about the pain. Believe me, I need to feel everything. I need to…to remember what it was like to be alive." Gojyo looked at him and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Alright." He removed his fingers and positioned himself before pushing in slowly. Hakkai moaned and tightened his fingers on Gojyo's shoulders, biting his lip as he remembered the pain of entry, almost like his first time. Gojyo saw his discomfort and leaned down to kiss him tenderly, pushing farther in. Hakkai tightened his legs around Gojyo's waist and clenched his eyes shut. It was painful, due to Gojyo's size and his lack of sex. But the pain did remind him of his first time. He could not remember who it was, but the same feelings were there and at this moment, he actually did feel alive.

"You doing okay?" Gojyo whispered in his ear, finally pushing the rest of the way in. He was finding it hard to speak, with the tight, warm feeling of being inside Hakkai.

"Yes…I'm just…getting used to the feeling." He chuckled weakly. "It's been a long time. But keep going. Please."

Gojyo nodded and slipped his arms under Hakkai's, holding him up to kiss along his chest as he began to move slowly, pulling out just a bit then pushing back in. Hakkai's head dropped back and he let out a soft moan. He gripped the bed sheets with his fists and lifted his hips, gasping as he took Gojyo in deeper. Gojyo pulled out further this time and thrust back in with more speed, making Hakkai cry out loudly.

"More…" He whispered, half out of breath and eyes wide.

Gojyo dropped him back to the bed and held his shoulders down as he began to speed his thrusts, pounding into Hakkai. Hakkai voiced his pleasure, planting his feet on the bed and thrusting his hips up to meet Gojyo's thrusts. Each powerful thrust forward hit his sweet spot dead on and soon Hakkai could no longer participate with the movements. Instead, he laid back and let Gojyo do all the work, voicing words of endearment.

"Harder…" He whispered into Gojyo's ear, who moved to fulfill the plea. Hakkai's back arched completely off the bed as Gojyo gripped the headboard and slammed into him, hard. Hakkai felt pain now mixing with the pleasure but it wasn't enough to bother him, but only heightened the feeling. He wrapped his arms around Gojyo's shoulders and locked one leg around his lower back, saving himself from slamming back into the headboard. His eyes rolled back in head as he felt his completion building up. After a few more hard, rough thrusts, Hakkai let out a loud cry as he came, splattering all over his chest and some of Gojyo's stomach.

At the tightening feel of Hakkai's clenching inner muscles, Gojyo grunted with each last thrust he needed to reach his own. He growled low in his throat as he came deep inside Hakkai, hiding his face in the man's neck. Gojyo fell limp on top of him, both panting harshly and damp with sweat. They laid in silence, basking in the afterglow and enjoying the other's company.

"mmm Gojyo. That was wonderful." Hakkai said softly. Gojyo just chuckled and nibbled on his earlobe as he pulled out.

"You were great for someone who hasn't fucked in 200 years." Hakkai laughed tiredly.

"I told you I was a talented lover. However, this challenge of ours looks to be a tie." Gojyo bit down gently on Hakkai's shoulder as he hand moved down to the lax entrance, rubbing it with his fingers. Hakkai moaned again and spread his legs. "no more right now, Gojyo. We are both sated."

"True, but that doesn't mean we can't full around a bit." He applied pressure to Hakkai's hole but didn't penetrate. Hakkai gasped.

"You are cruel. I will remember this." The room started to fill with a white mist, making Gojyo shoot up from his spot on the bed.

"What's going on?"

"You are waking up. I will see you outside your dream."

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

At the library, the three split up into two groups. Sanzo went off by himself to read up on ghosts while Goku and Gojyo searched in the history section for books on the town. Luckily, there was a special section just on the town alone. Gojyo searched the top shelves while Goku searched the bottom.

"Hey Gojyo, what exactly are we looking for? There's too many books!" Gojyo took a book off the shelf, looked at it, and then put it away.

"Something about the houses in town. There should be a book that lists all the houses."

"Why don't we just ask the librarian?"

"Because I can find it on my own." Goku rolled his eyes and stood up.

"I'm going to go ask then. It will save us some time." He said and went off to find the librarian. Gojyo ignored him and continued to scan the spins of the books. He was finding everything BUT what he wanted to find. But that was always the way it had to be. His eyes caught a title that said "A History of Sunnyside Town Judges". Gojyo remembered the psychic telling them something about a judge that had Hakkai killed. The name 'William Cornwall' came to mind right away and he took out the book, looking in the front for the man's name. Sure enough, he saw the name printed in the book and quickly flipped to the page, taking a seat in a nearby chair.

'Judge William Cornwall (1729-1778)

William Cornwall was elected by the townspeople in 1768 and remained in the position for ten years. William proved to be a just, fair, and powerful judge that won the respect of the committee council and the town. His wife, Sarah Cornwall, was an active woman at the church, along with their son, William Cornwall Jr., who was training to become a priest. Their daughter, Kanan Cornwall, was adopted a few years before their son was born and specialized in playing the piano.'

Gojyo saw a little red flag come up in his head as he associated the piano with Hakkai. Hakkai played the piano, but he did not know where or when or who taught him. He continued to read, more or less skimming through the words looking for any signs of 'murders'. The pages talked more about the cases he dealt with but he could not be bothered to read the whole thing. His skimming stopped when a certain word caught his eye.

'However, William lost some respect from the towns people after his brutal attack on a servant of a wealthy, respected family. The servant was convicted without fair trail or even an option to one. William said it was a crime that overlooked the regulations of the law and was a personal matter. The crime he committed was justified in the eyes of the church which helped keep him in position until he died at age 49.'

Gojyo closed the book and clenched his fist above the cover as he went over what he just read in his mind. He knew for a pure fact now that William really was the cause of Hakkai's murder and must be the one who will not let Hakkai pass over. After figuring out the truth, he wondered if he should really even tell Hakkai. Maybe he had forgotten everything for a good reason. It had to have been a very scary time for Hakkai, and maybe he did not want to remember. But if he did not tell him, then that is not really fair to Hakkai. He should remember how he died…or maybe not. Gojyo growled to himself and put the book back on the shelf.

"Hey Gojyo! I found the Liberian!" Said Goku, leading the woman to the history section. She ignored Gojyo and went right to work scanning the bottom shelf. She pulled out a dirt colored book and brushed the dust off the top.

"This book has the blueprints of every original house that was built in the town. You will find what you are looking for in there."

"Thank you, miss." Gojyo said as he took the book and pulled Goku to a table so they could both look in the book. Gojyo opened it up to the back and looked for Locus Street.

"Is it there? Maybe it was called something else back then?"

"No, I found it." Gojyo flipped through the pages until he came to his street section. "Damn houses don't have numbers."

"That's it! Right there!" Goku said, slamming his hand down on the page. Gojyo looked at the picture and nodded.

"Yup, that's mine." The two of them studied the house closely, looking for any cellar doors. Goku turned the page that showed the back of the house, finding nothing and getting bored with the first page. "I don't see anything, Goku." Gojyo sighed.

"Hey, what's that right there?" Goku pointed to a little bit of lift in the ground by the backdoor. "It doesn't look like grass or dirt! Maybe that's it! But if it's there, why haven't we seen it?"

"I don't know, maybe its been taken away?" Gojyo looked closely at the page. "That might just be it though! Lets go get Sanzo and head back! I want to find that cellar door!"

Sanzo was at the other side of the library at a corner table by the window. It had started to rain and he looked outside, sighing angrily. He never did like the rain, much less walking in it. Too many bad memories. He shook his head and went back to studying the books on ghosts he had found. Most of them just had pictures of sightings and the stories behind it. Aside from what the physic had said about ghosts, the books did not say much else.

"Hey Sanzo! Did you find anything?" Goku asked as the two approached him.

"Nothing really. Just a lot of ghost stories. You know, I used to think that all those ancient ghost stories and supernatural shit was all from mold and funguses of the climate making people see these things. But now that I saw Hakkai…well, I think I was a bit off."

"Do you think all these ghosts pictures are real now that we've seen Hakkai?" Goku asked, flipping through the pages of one book.

"I think some of them are real, others look a bit questionable. This one is real, of the three monks." He flipped to the page. "Notice how their feet aren't showing, just like Hakkai sometimes appears only from the knees up. The ground rises over the years and when Hakkai floats, he's actually walking on the floorboards when the were much lower."

"Wow cool!"

"Sanzo, we found where the cellar door should be." Gojyo told him "It's by the back door, probably buried under dirt now that you said the ground rises."

"Lets go dig it up then. I'll have to leave for work soon though. It's getting late." Said Sanzo, putting the books onto the return cart. "I'll come by tomorrow and look over them more."

The three of them headed home and did not bother to talk to Hakkai but went strait around the back to where the cellar door was assumed to be. Gojyo only had one shovel from the back of his truck and started digging in the area. Sanzo had the foresight to grab the umbrella from the car before going out in the rain. Gojyo did not care about how wet he was getting or the chill in the air, but more anxious to see if the cellar door was really there. He took a quick break to stretch his back and saw Hakkai watching him from the kitchen window.

Hakkai had his eyebrow raised at the three of them but Gojyo just smiled at him and went back to digging. Hakkai remained in the window and kept a careful eye on them, curious as to why they were digging. He could not hear them talking, but only could see their lips moving. Sanzo looked to be pointing from the spot Gojyo was digging at to more on the left, which Gojyo moved to and started digging anew.

About four inches into the new area, the three of them all heard a heavy 'cling' sound as Gojyo struck something. Gojyo kicked some of the dirt away and saw a rustic looking door. Goku had to join in after he saw Gojyo start to move faster at digging the dirt away. Goku just used his hands as he pulled up the wet dirt easily, exposing more of the door. It took them a good fifteen minutes to completely remove the dirt and sure enough, there were two doors leading into the ground. Hakkai's eyes widen in surprise as he looked at the doors. But the three seemed to have forgotten about him as they examined the doors

"The doors look fairly new." Sanzo pointed out. "It looks like they were added later. The original doors may have been made of wood and rotted away."

"Whatever. Lets open it!" Goku said excitedly and struggled a bit as he tried to open the heavy doors. Gojyo joined him and between the both of them, the doors flew open. Goku lost his balance but regained it before he fell into the mud. Sanzo took the flashlight he got from the truck out of his pocket and turned it on, tapping it a few times to get it to go on. He flashed the light downwards, seeing nothing but old rotted stairs and some jars.

"Dude…it's spooky down there." Goku gulped and backed away a bit. "I'm not going down first! If some crazy spell is down there, I'm not going first!" Gojyo turned to Sanzo.

"Wasn't the gateway to Hell or something in the basement in that movie? The Amit-e Horror something?"

"HELL?!" Goku looked from one to the other. Sanzo rolled his eyes.

"That's a bunch of horseshit. The only thing we'll find down there is probably some rats and spiders. I seriously doubt a big vortex of some kind is down there, least of all the gateway to Hell."

"Then you go first!" Goku suggested. Sanzo narrowed his eyes at him and pushed him to the side.

"I will."

He carefully took a step down, testing the weight resistance of the wood. He took another cautious step down, then another. The wood creaked under his feet but he made it down to the floor with no trouble. He flashed the light on the floor and noticed it was all gravel and dirt. He raised an eyebrow then flashed his light around the surrounding area. There was nothing except numerous spider webs, some crickets, and a mouse or two. There were some broken chairs and bottles, along with piles of old wood and rotted barrels. A wine rack stood in the far corner, empty of any bottles. There were shattered glass bits on the floor and pieces of cork.

"What's down there?" Gojyo called down.

"Looks more like a large crawl space than a cellar." He called back up.

/Sanzo? Sanzo can you hear me?/ Came Hakkai's faint voice from above him.

"I can." He flashed the light up

/What on Earth are you doing down there?/

"We'll tell you later." He said back up to him and walked further into the room, flashing the light around more.

/Wait! Wait Sanzo! Stop!/ Hakkai called back down through the boards.

"What is it?"

/Something is down there! I can feel it!/ Sanzo flashed his light around quickly, suddenly getting an eerie feeling creeping up his back. He froze as he felt the little hairs stand up on his neck as a clearly unwelcomed feeling came over him. /Please Sanzo! I do not like what I feel! Hurry up and leave! Wherever you are, you are in danger!/

Sanzo did not like the feel of the area and he started to back away slowly. He was not one to back away from anything, but whatever this was…he just did not like it. There was nothing he could see, only feel. Sanzo could hear Goku and Gojyo's voices but they seemed to be distant from him. He then heard the faint sounds of numerous male voices coming from above. He looked up at the boards, flashing his light.

"HAKKAI?!"

Sanzo called loudly but the only sound he got was various thumping and bumping sounds, and what appeared to be loud footfalls coming from the stairway. He had figured out where everything above him was, so he knew there were people coming down the stairs, shouting angrily. He could not make out the words but felt his blood still as the sound of the men and their footfalls running right above him. Another sound he had just notice was the high pitched screams of what could only be children, and the sound of a dogs' bark. The sounds and voices started to become too much for him. The screams, the barking, and even a few gunshots. They seemed to be coming at him from all angles and his nerves finally got the best him, and he turned and ran.

"Sanzo?!" Goku called down the hole and screamed suddenly when Sanzo came flying up at him. He knocked Goku over in the process and nearly slipped in the wet soil.

"CLOSE THOSE DAMN DOORS!" Sanzo screamed at them and Gojyo quickly did just that, sticking his shovel deep into the dirt to hold it upright.

"What's wrong?! What happened down there Sanzo!?" Goku asked him, standing up and running to him. "We kept calling you but you didn't answer! Are you alright?! You look like you've seen a ghost!" He gasped "Another ghost?!" Sanzo shook his head.

"No…no it wasn't a ghost."

"Then what was it?" Gojyo asked.

"I don't know…but whatever it was, it was fucking unexplainable. One minute Hakkai is talking to me, and the next I'm hearing all these strange sounds. It's clear no one is in the house, but it sounded like there were a group of men right above my fucking head!" he said quickly and angrily, gritting his teeth at his own reaction.

"I think that's enough for today." Gojyo suggested "Lets get inside and change, before we all catch a chill." Gojyo headed up the backdoor steps but Sanzo remained still, staring at the cellar doors with confusion and suspicion. Goku took his hand gently.

"Sanzo? You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah…yeah I'm fine. Just thinking right now."

"Well, you can think inside. Come on." Goku lead Sanzo by the hand who followed easily, but not without looking at the doors the whole time until they were out of his sight.

/

The three of them sat at the kitchen table, clothes changed and hair dried. Gojyo still had his up in a towel since he believed that blow drying his hair caused to much heat damage. Goku played with the marshmallows in his hot chocolate, a little unnerved by the silence. Sanzo was staring down into his cup of coffee, deep in thought, brows hard in concentration. Gojyo twirled his beer can around in the air, his head resting lazily on his palm. Hakkai was in the living room, peeking around the corner and watching them. All three of them were silent when they came in and practically ignored him. He figured that whatever happened under the boards had them upset and it was best not to bother them. Goku was the one to break the long silence.

"Sanzo, what happened down there?" Sanzo was silent for a bit, then answered.

"I don't know, Goku. Something wasn't right…I heard voices above me."

"Above you?" Gojyo questioned "But no one was in the house."

"Exactly." Sanzo clenched his mug. "I don't know where those sounds were coming from or why, or what they were for that matter. It sounded like a bunch of men running from upstairs to down through here and out the back door."

"W-what else did you hear?" Goku asked, shaking a bit at Sanzo's retelling of the event.

"I heard children screaming, and a dog barking. Even some gun shots too."

"This is strange." Gojyo said, throwing his beer into the trashcan. "But you didn't find a portal or anything, right?"

"No. There was nothing down there. Just a bunch of old junk." he lifts his head up as he had an idea. "Hakkai!"

/Yes Sanzo/' Hakkai appeared in the kitchen, standing on the opposite side of Goku at the table.

"Try to go through the floor boards." Sanzo pointed to the floor. "I need to check something, so just do it!" Hakkai looked down and leaned forward onto his stomach, but all he could do was float an inch or so above the floor.

/I can not…something is blocking me./

"That woman was right. Whatever is holding Hakkai here is in the cellar."

/Holding me?/ Hakkai asked, curious. /What is holding me?/

"The force that's holding you here on Earth" Gojyo said. "It's in the cellar" he turned to Sanzo "But how do we get rid of it?"

"I guess we have to get a priest."

"What the hell can a priest do? Light a candle and chant a word or two?" Gojyo scoffed. "I think we should fight evil with evil. How about those 'mediums', or whatever they're called?"

"I think we should try the priest first." Goku suggested. "Lets just see what he has to say and then we'll go to a medium."

"I agree with Goku." Sanzo replied. "There's a large church near the library. We'll hit it up tomorrow." He looked at his watch. "Shit, I'm going to be late for work!" he got up and took the keys to the truck, since his car was close to falling apart. "I'll be back around three in the morning, don't wait up Goku."

"Okay." Goku watched as Sanzo left and he looked at Gojyo.

/What is the matter, Goku?/ Hakkai asked him /You look forlorn. Is everything alright?/

"I don't know…Sanzo's just been very distant from me these past few days. I mean I know a lot has happened since we've moved here, but we had more things going on when we were at the apartment and we found time for each other! But now that he has this late job…I don't really get to see him. Then he sleeps all day."

/Maybe you too should get a job, Goku/ Hakkai suggested, floating over to stand next to him. /At least that way, your mind would not constantly be on Sanzo/'

"But Sanzo doesn't let me work. He always had the job and I just stayed home"

/Well, maybe you should go to school./

"Nah, college is way to expensive. Besides, he has Sanzo to support him." Gojyo said. "And me, since I'm letting them stay in the house."

/It is getting awfully late. You two should head to bed before you catch chill from being in the rain./

"Yeah, that sounds good" Goku yawned. "I'll see you two in the morning."

Goku said and went up the stairs. Gojyo followed him up with Hakkai close at his side. Hakkai waited in the room while Gojyo finished in the bathroom, coming out dressed in only his pajama pants. Hakkai smiled and floated down on the right side of the bed. Gojyo returned the smile as he climbed in bed and settled down.

"Will I be seeing you tonight?" Gojyo grinned and wiggled his eyebrows, making Hakkai laugh. Gojyo had decided to put aside everything that has happened today so he could just enjoy Hakkai's company.

/Yes, you will be seeing me tonight./ he winked /Hurry and fall asleep so I can see you./ Gojyo yawned and closed his eyes, eagerly awaiting sleep to claim him.

Goku lay in bed for a long while, staring up at the ceiling. Sleep was not coming for him, no matter how many meat buns he counted. He knew it was because he was scared. Scared of the reaction from Sanzo and everything else that happened to today. As he thought it over, he started to frighten himself more. He looked over to where Sanzo would be on his bedroll and sighed, holding his pillow more closely to himself. The silence and darkness of the room was beginning to get him. He could not take the shadows in the room and got up quickly to go and share a bed with Gojyo.

As he walked by the window, he stopped in his tracks and looked outside. He saw a white dog in the backyard, sniffing around the grass. Goku smiled and hurried downstairs, eager to get a closer look at the dog. He had always loved animals and had desperately wanted a dog of his own. The rain had stopped, it seemed, for a short bit so Goku threw on his coat and went outside before it started again. The dog was very white, he noticed, and seemed to have a very short length of fur. It looked to be a mutt, and there was no collar evident around its neck.

"Here doggie!" He whistled softly, but the dog did not seem to hear him. "Here doggie! Doggie! Over here!" But the dog still did not hear him. "Hey dog-" he froze when he noticed that the closer he had gotten, the more transparent the dog had become.

Goku's face turned white and he stood up slowly. The dog finally turned, looked at him, and growled. Its nose tightened as it bared its fangs at Goku. Goku gulped and started to back away slowly. He should have known not to come outside after a dog. The last time he had done it he had almost ended up flattened on the city street. The dog started walking slowly towards him, stalking him dangerously. Goku turned and ran back for the door, making it inside with ease. He looked out the window and saw that the ghost dog was gone. He had to wake Gojyo!

"Oh Gojyo!" Hakkai panted as he raked his nails down Gojyo's back. Gojyo held his shoulders down as he thrust roughly forward, striking Hakkai's sweet spot with every one. "More…!" he managed to cry out between the hammering thrusts. Gojyo obliged and rolled them over so Hakkai was on the top.

"Ride me, little ghost!" Gojyo commanded and Hakkai did so, bouncing on the thick member that deliciously filled him in every way.

"Yes!" Hakkai gasped out as Gojyo gripped his hips tightly, holding him still as he thrust up. "Oh Gojyo…I-I-"

"Cum for me, my little ghost!" Hakkai threw his head in a cry when suddenly the whole scene before him was literally torn to shreds.

"GOJYO!" Gojyo sat up suddenly, knocking Goku's head with his own. "OW!"

"OW! GOD DAMN IT! WHAT THE FUCK, GOKU!?" Gojyo hollered down at him "YOU DON'T JUST WAKE A MAN UP DURING THE BEST PART!" Goku trembled as he rubbed his head.

"But Gojyo! I got scared! There was a ghost dog outside!" Gojyo was still pissed of from being woken up and his groin ached with unsatisfied pleasure.

"A ghost dog? What the hell are you talking about?"

"It was a ghost! It was big and white! And I could see right through it! Then it chased me!"

"You went outside after an unknown dog?!"

"I didn't mean too!" A sudden loud crash of lightly echoed and flashed inside the room "EEEK!" Goku jumped into bed with Gojyo and hid under the covers. Hakkai flew out from the walls, equally as pissed for being interrupted.

/What in the world is going on?/ Hakkai asked, his hands on his hips. Gojyo just rolled his eyes and pointed to the shivering body under the sheets.

"Goku said he saw a ghost dog outside and he's scared."

/A ghost dog?/ Hakkai thought

"Goku! Get out of my bed!" Gojyo hollered at him.

"No! I'm scared Gojyo! Please let me sleep with you tonight!"

"What?! Hell no! Out of the question!"

"But I'm scared Gojyo! Please, please, please?!"

/Gojyo, let him. He is clearly upset and frightened. I do not know about a ghost dog…for I have never seen it/' Gojyo sighed and settled back down into bed.

"Alright, alright. You can stay here. Stupid scaredy monkey!" Goku just grumbled and settled under the covers, refusing to come out. Hakkai smiled at Gojyo and waved to him as he floated away to wait for Sanzo.

The rain had started again just as Sanzo had left the bar. He cursed low and fumbled in his pocket for his cigarettes. With one hand on the wheel, he managed to get one out with ease. He tried to ignite it with the cigarette lighter, but cursed as he found it was busted.

"Mother fucking cockroach." He hissed and tossed the lighter to the floor. The rain began to fall more heavily on the windshield and he put the wipers up to top speed. The headlights were dim and Sanzo made a mental note to remind himself to tell Gojyo to get his damn truck fixed before someone dies in it. Preferably himself, since he was driving in perilous conditions with poor lights. Up ahead, he saw some orange lights flashing and a large 'DETOUR' sign. He cursed angrily and slowed up as he came to the activity, seeing four construction men and a police officer. Sanzo rolled down the window as one of the police men came up to him.

"Sorry sir, but this road is closed due to a motor vehicle accident. You'll have to take the other two. Where are you trying to get to?"

"Locust Street."

"Take the right road all the way down and then make a right. The road is very narrow and full of curves, so take caution. You'll end up at the main street stoplight."

"Alright, thank you officer."

"One more thing, take your time going down that road, and be careful." The guard told him in almost a warning tone, as if he knew something about the road. Sanzo raised his eyebrow and rolled up the window, making the right.

"Just my fucking luck. Stuck out on a deserted road in a rainstorm. Next thing I know a fucking monster will jump out or a serial killer!" He said sarcastically and continued down the road. There came a sudden sputter of the truck and an alarming noise as the vehicle came to a stop. "SHIT!" He watched as all the lights in the car went out. "Fucking piece of shit! I hate this truck!" He slammed his fists on the steering wheel and pulled out his cell phone to call Gojyo.

Back at the house, Goku shot up at the sound of the phone ringing, the noise having scared him out of sleep. Gojyo groaned as the sound echoed in his head.

"Gojyo! The phone is ringing!"

"No shit, Sherlock" he muttered "Go get it!"

"I'm scared to go alone!"

"Well I'm not going! Make Hakkai get it!"

"Hakkai's a ghost!"

"Then let the machine get it!" they heard the 'beep' from the machine and then an angry voice followed.

'Hey cockroach! Get your ugly ass out of bed and pick up the damn phone!"

"It's Sanzo!"

"So go get it!" Gojyo yelled at Goku.

"But I'm scared to go alone!"

'GOD DAMN IT! GOKU! GOJYO! I KNOW YOU'RE AWAKE! PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE! IT'S IMPORTANT!" Goku got up, regardless of his fear and ran down the steps, holding onto the banister as he twirled around and snagged the phone.

"Sanzo?"

'About time! What took you so long?!' Hakkai had appeared out of the kitchen, letting Goku be aware of his presence.

"I was scared to come downstairs! Something scary happened to me tonight Sanzo! I want you home! When are you coming home?"

'I'm not! Gojyo's truck broke down and I'm stuck on a deserted road and its raining like hell!' Goku looked outside and 'eeped' as he watched the lighting flash.

"Well, what do you want us to do? You have the truck."

'I'm running low on battery. Call for a tow man and tell him I'm on the right side of the detour, got it?'

"Uh huh"

'Repeat that back to me!'

"Call a tow truck and tell them you are on the right road from the detour."

'Right, and tell that cockroach that I'm pissed off at him! And don't wait up. I'll probably be very late.' Goku frowned but nodded.

"Okay Sanzo. Be careful." He said and hung up.

Sanzo sat back in the seat, resting his boots up on the steering wheel. If there was one thing Gojyo did not like, it was people putting their feet on the seats or dashboard. Well, he was going to get him back for having a piece of shit car so he made sure to rub the soles of his boots all over.

The rain was still not letting up, nor was the lighting and thunder. Sanzo started to feel a tad bit nervous, but immediately pushed the feeling aside, knowing it was because he was so tired and worn out. He leaned forward on the steering wheel, folding his arms over the top and gazed out the windshield. His eyes widened as he saw a figure a few feet ahead of the car in a flash of lighting. He shook his head and looked out again, waiting as the next flash produced the same figure. Sanzo could not tell if it was a human or an animal. The next flash lasted a bit longer than the last two and he could see that it was clearly a person, most likely a woman by the long dress she wore.

Sanzo was not about to go out in the rain to see who or what she was, but remained in the car. The situation was a little too weird for his taste. She would have seen the truck by now and come to ask him for help if she was real. Given the ghost he lives with and the strange voices in the cellar, he would not be surprised if she was a ghost too. He read in the library books that this town was one of the most haunted. He froze then as she turned to look at him in the next flash of lighting. Sanzo felt his blood grow cold and he stood perfectly still. When the next flash came, he could no longer see her. He immediately looked around the area and just to be safe, locked his doors. He jumped when he saw flashing lights in the rear view mirror, and then breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized them as the tow truck.

/

As he figured, Sanzo got back around five in the morning. The storm was still raging outside and he made a quick dash for the door of the house. He hurried inside and shook his hair, trying to rid it of all the rain droplets. Goku was asleep on the couch with the television on, a bowl of chips resting on his chest. Sanzo sighed and took off his coat, throwing it over the banister. He walked over to Goku and shook him awake gently.

"Mmm….Sanzo? You home?" Goku muttered sleepily, rubbing his eyes. Sanzo took the bowl of chips off his chest and placed them on the coffee table.

"Stupid monkey. I told you not to wait up." Goku sat up and scratched the back of his head.

"mm…but Sanzo, I was worried about you" he looked up at him. "I couldn't help it. I must have fallen asleep though…" Sanzo rolled his eyes.

"Clearly. Now get up on to bed. I'll follow you after I have something to drink."

"Can't I stay with you? I'm afraid to go upstairs by myself." Goku said softly.

"There's no one up there but Gojyo and Hakkai."

"No! I saw a ghost dog today! It was outside!" he did not want to tell Sanzo that he had gone out after it, knowing he would be scolded. "I got scared. I don't want to be alone." Sanzo sighed.

"Fine. I'll take my drink upstairs."

Sanzo went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of orange juice. He chose not to tell Goku what he saw since Goku was clearly spooked enough as it was. More things were starting to happen now and Sanzo wondered if it had anything to do with what he heard in the cellar. The memory sent a quick shiver down his spine. Goku waited patiently for Sanzo at the end of the steps and the two walked up together to get some sleep.

The next afternoon, Gojyo was busy with work on his computer while Sanzo and Goku looked through the phonebook and newspaper for mediums. They had no luck in finding one in the area, but there was one located in Boston. Gojyo took a break from the computer and opened a beer, joining the other two at the table.

"Any luck?"

"No, there's none in the area." Sanzo said, closing the phonebook. "They're all in other cities, mostly in Salem and Boston. They'd charge too much to come all the way out here."

"Lets just stick with a priest." Goku suggested.

"Then I have to take all my bachelor shit down off the walls!" Gojyo growled.

"I'll go and get him." Said Goku "I really don't think he'll care. He'll probably just pray for you, or something. Where's Hakkai?" He looked around. "Hakkai!" Hakkai came down the steps and floated into the kitchen.

/Yes?/

"There you are. I'm going to go a get a priest to come in here and look around." He said with a smile. "We're doing our best to find a way to help you." Hakkai smiled back softly.

/I was never very fond of priests…/

"You don't have to talk to him. We just want to know what's going on in the cellar." Goku got up and got his coat.

"I'm going to head there now, so I'll be back soon. Try to take some things away, Gojyo. Like the Kama Sutra statue you got there." He pointed to the figurine above the mantel and Gojyo walked over to take it away, putting it in the wall closet.

"There." Goku just rolled his eyes and left the house

Goku stood outside the church on the stone sidewalk, looking up at the bell tower. The bell looked to be extremely old, as well as the steeple itself. There was a small graveyard on the right and seemed to continue around to the back. He noticed they were old and shifted like the ones behind Gojyo's house. The rest of the church looked fairly new, or it had been reconstructed over the years. Goku headed up the small steps and slowly entered the church, peeking around at the inside. He could see the alter and numerous benches but it seemed to be empty.

"Hello?" he called softly as he closed the door but no one answered him. "Hello? Anyone here?" Goku saw only one person sitting in the middle row of the benches, looking at the alter. Judging by the balding head and white hair, he knew he was an old man. "Hello, sir?" The old man turned to look at him and gave him a friendly, tired smile.

"Hello sonny."

"Hi, is the priest around? I'm new in town so I don't really know anyone."

"The reverend is not here right now. But he will be back soon. Come sit with me for a bit, he will not be long." Goku walked over and sat next to the old man.

"I'm Henry."

"Goku."

"That is a strange name. I guess it is a new age thing." Goku chuckled

"Yeah, I moved here. I'm staying with a friend who owns a house in town."

"Which house would that be?"

"97 on Locust Street. The man who lived their prior to my friend was a distant relative of his and left him the house." The old man nodded.

"Yes, I remember that man. Very quiet, never said much at all. But they say that house is haunted." Goku's eyes widened at that and he turned to look at the man.

"Haunted? W-what do you mean?"

"Well, a long, long time ago, maybe about 200 some years, a horrible murder took place there." Goku gulped and listened to the story as the man continued to tell it.

Back at the house, Gojyo had stepped outside to put the garbage out and looked at the cellar door. He threw the garbage in the trashcan and opened the doors to walk down into the cellar. He had remembered Sanzo was standing somewhere in the center when he heard all the strange sounds. A chill went up his spine and a blast of cold air surrounded him, making him fall to his knees. He heard various voices and shouts in his ears, and they filled him with a horrible sense of anguish. He clenched his eyes shut tight and held his ears until the sound went away.

Gojyo opened his eyes and was inside his bedroom, but it looked nothing like it! The room was old fashioned and littered with wooden furniture. Candle stands and lanterns were mounted on the wall, all lit. The house was completely still, he noticed. He got out of bed and looked out the window, gasping at the vast dark country he saw, the city buildings nowhere in sight! It was nighttime now, since he could see the moon.

"What is going on here?"

He saw some light coming down the dirt road and saw that they were colonial men, about eight or nine of them, walking with torches. Gojyo leaned forward more but almost fell out the window! He had gone right through it like a ghost! He pulled back and looked at his arms, noticing that they were transparent like Hakkai's. The small mob was coming to the house, shouting angrily and holding up a rope while waving their torches. He then heard scared voices from the hallway, sounding like children. He hurried out and saw two children in their nightdresses, a boy and a girl about the same age. They looked frightened as they ran to the other room.

"Hakkai! Hakkai!" they called.

'Hakkai?!' Gojyo thought and ran too, appearing with the children. But they did not see him, and Hakkai was looking right at all three of them. He looked out the window again and gasped as the sound of banging came from the door. The dog started to bark loudly, its' hackles going up.

"Hakkai! It's me! What's going on?!" Hakkai did not hear him and he ran to the children, holding them tight. The dog continued to bark at the top of the steps.

"I want you to stay here, understand? It is too dangerous for you to be here with me! I want you to go back to your room and stay there."

"OPEN UP DEMON!" came a deep, angry voice from outside. "WE WILL BREAK DOWN THE DOOR!" came another voice followed by more banging.

"Hakkai me scared!" Cried the girl. "I wish momma and dada were here!" Hakkai shuffled them through Gojyo and into their room.

"Please, stay put. Hide under the covers, and do not come out until it is quiet."

"What gonna happen to you, Hakkai? You not be our servant anymore?" Hakkai gave them both a hug.

"Just stay put." He closed the door as the front door swung opened loudly. Hakkai gasped and ran to the top of the stairs, seeing the men swarm in the house. The dog barked angrily and Hakkai stroked its' head. "Easy Hakuryuu." He whispered to the dog.

"HAKKAI!" Gojyo shouted. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" Hakkai still did not hear him. "This must be a flashback of some kind! This has to be what really happened!"

"THERE HE IS!" one of the men shouted and they started up the stairs. Gojyo noticed the look of pure fear on Hakkai's face as he ran through him and into his room, Hakuryuu following close behind. The men had already come up and stopped him from closing the door. Gojyo ran through all of them and the door to be next to Hakkai. He feared what he was going to see, but he had to know. The door flew open, throwing Hakkai across the room and landing on the floor. The men swarmed in, tackled Hakkai, and starting beating him with fists and boots.

"HEY!" Gojyo shouted angrily and tried to stop them, but he could not. He could hear Hakkai crying out in pain and begging for them to stop. Hakuryuu barked and bit one of the legs of the men. The men yelled out and pulled out his pistol, shooting Hakuryuu. The dog yelped and fell over, clearly dead.

"HAKURYUU!" Hakkai cried out but he was met with a boot to the mouth.

"You are going to pay for your crimes against the church and God, sinner!" One man said, who Gojyo noticed looked more well dress than the others. Hakkai was battered and bleeding, writhing on the floor. Another man hit him with the barrel of his gun and he cried out.

"STOP IT!" Gojyo shouted, swinging helplessly at the men but doing nothing. The well dressed man gripped Hakkai by the hair and drug him kicking out of the room. Gojyo followed them and Hakkai was kicked down the stairs, hitting each one as he fell to the bottom. "HAKKAI!" Gojyo felt tears well up in his eyes at the sight of his battered lover and he almost could not take it. The men ran down the steps, two picking him up by the arms and dragging him outside. Gojyo almost did not want to follow them, but he had too.

"You like defying God?" The well dressed man said to Hakkai's battered face before landing him a punch, making him fall back on the ground. "You, sinner, have no right in this good world He made!" he stepped on Hakkai's chest. "You like to mess around with both women AND men, and take pleasure with your own sister! All despicable crimes against our Lord Almighty!" Hakkai coughed up some blood and gurgled a woman's name.

"Ka-nan…"

"SHUT UP!" he was kicked again and slammed with another barrel of a gun.

"MAKE IT STOP!" Gojyo shouted, covering his ears. He could hear sheltered screaming and looked up to see the two children, crying and banging on the window. Two men grabbed him by his ankles and started dragging him limply along the ground, his cries muffled by his battered body. "Shit…Hakkai! I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!" He gasped as he saw them dragging Hakkai to the old oak tree in the backyard. "THE TREE!" The rope the men had earlier encircled Hakkai's neck, making it into a noose. "HAKKAI!"

Hakkai struggled and tried to take the rope away from his throat but the well dressed man threw the rope over the largest and lowest branch of the tree. Several other men grabbed the other end and began to pull. Hakkai gagged and gasped for air as he was pulled up and off the ground.

"HAKKAI! HAKKAI!" Gojyo shouted, tears falling from his eyes as he watched his lover struggling in the air, fighting the noose. The men all chanted crude words and insults as they took pleasure in watching Hakkai writhe in the air. Gojyo fell to his knees and watched wide eyed as his lover's body slowly ceased its struggling…and hung limp. The mob was quiet for a few seconds.

"Is he dead?" One asked. Another man pulled out his pistol and shot twice at Hakkai, but his body didn't flinch.

"No more…no more!" Gojyo chanted, covering his ears. He could still hear the children screaming and crying, having witnessed the same thing as he.

"He is dead!" The men cheered and congratulated each other. Gojyo glared at all of them, panting in pure anger and seeing red. Hakkai's dead body still swung gently from side to side, and the children still cried.

"Hold up men!" Said the well dressed one. "As good Christians as we, he is entitled to a proper burial." The men all booed and shouted out words until the leader silenced them. "He will be buried in the graveyard, with the other abominations to our Lord and church!" the leader looked up at Hakkai's body. "A shallow grave, next to his whore of a sister and other sinners. Jacob! He is entitled to a stone, but a small one! And with only the word 'Sinner' engraved on it!"

"Yes sir!" shouted Jacob.

"Then men who have their shovels, start digging!" the men cheered and headed off to the graveyard with shovels and torches. The men holding the rope let go and Hakkai's body fell to the ground. Gojyo got up and ran over to him, knelling beside him.

"Oh Hakkai…" Gojyo could hardly make out his face under the deep bloodied gashes and swollen skin. The bullet wounds leaked with blood, falling right through Gojyo's hands. "Hakkai…how could they do this to you?" Gojyo whispered, wiping his tears. "My precious Hakkai…so kind hearted and caring…you did not deserve this death!" he shouted up the night sky. The men came and undid the rope around Hakkai's neck and started dragging him towards the graveyard. "NO! NO YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM FROM ME!" Gojyo shouted angrily and charged at them, but again his efforts were useless. "DAMN IT!" He fell to his knees and slammed his fists into the ground.

He then appeared at the graveyard where three men hopped up out of a freshly dug grave. Gojyo recognized all the head stones, seeing how fresh and clean they were. Hakkai's grave was across the dirt street, away from the others. His body was laid on the ground next to the open hole.

"Men, tonight we did our community , our country, and our Lord a favor!" They cheered at his words. "We rid the world now of sinners and incest! Let this be a lesson to your children, and your children's children, about what is right and what is not!" the all muttered in agreement. "As for you, Hakkai," He said his name in disgust. "May you rot in this grave and never find the road to Heaven but live an eternity in Hell!" He finished and kicked Hakkai into the grave. The men scooped all the dirt back into the grave, filling it up. Gojyo was on his hands and knees, open tears falling into the dirt.

"Hakkai…why am I seeing this…how could they be so cruel…my sweet little ghost…living in Hell…" He covered his head. "No more…no more! GET ME OUT OF HERE! GET ME OOOOUUUUTTTTT!"

"GOJYO!" Gojyo opened his eyes, panting heavily and his tears still falling. He saw Sanzo above him and he was back in the kitchen. Gojyo gasped and jumped up, running to the windowsill and sighing in relief when he saw the normal buildings. "What the hell happened?" Sanzo asked.

"It was a dream…or…or a flashback." He started to tremble. "That's what they did to you! They brutally murdered you!" He could not get the brutal images out of his head.

/Gojyo?/ He gasped and saw Hakkai, floating at the door. Hakkai wore a look of pure sadness as he floated over to him. /Oh Gojyo…I remember everything now./ He said softly. Gojyo tried to hug him but went right through him.

"GODDAMN IT!" he slammed his fist against the wall. "Why did I see that, Hakkai? Why?!"

/I do not know why, Gojyo. But I saw it too./ His voice trembled. /I remember now…everything. Everything that happened! The reason why I was murdered, how I came to be here, and my crimes./ Gojyo growled.

"What you did were not crimes!"

/To people like that, it is a crime!/ He looked away. /That brutal death would have never happened if my masters were home. They went to a celebration at town hall that night, I was left to look after their children, my job as a servant. Little Annabelle and Alistair. They were good children…but had to witness that. And Hakuryuu…my beloved dog. I found him when I was little in a trash basket and I raised him. My masters let me keep him./

"What about your sister? They were going on about incest."

/My Kanan…I never knew she was my sister, and she also did not know. We met one day at William Cornwall's home. He was the judge of this town at the time, and a wealthy landowner. I offered to clean out the stables one day, just so I could see her. I had to accompany my masters to the house for some reason, and I saw her. I instantly felt something I had never felt before. I was allowed to talk to her, and I grew to love her all the more. And she loved me…my beautiful Kanan./ He looked at Gojyo. /She was my world then. We saw each other in secret and shared many wonderful moments together./ He smiled at the memory.

"How did you find out she was your sister?" Sanzo asked.

/She was adopted by William when she was a child. We believed William knew of our love and did not mind it at all, as long as we kept it secret. But one day, I went with him and Kanan to the church, where, apparently, I lived there in the orphanage part as a child. The nun immediately recognized both Kanan and I….and then the dreadful words that turned our world upside down. She said that it was a sign from God that we, as brother and sister, separate at childhood, could reunite with each other. I remember the look on William's face, and our own shocked, surprised faces…and that is when it turned bad. Somehow, he knew of us sleeping together out of wedlock, and knew that we knew we were brother and sister made him insane with anger. He thought that the both of us already knew, and we did it to criticize society and the church. Of course that was not the case, but a God fearing man and popular judge, could not take this kind of news. So we were separated again. Then over a couple of days, word got around about my intimate nights with men and women. And that made everything worse, which lead up to my death. Kanan was killed too. She was killed before me though. I only got the news the day before I was murdered. They hung her…where I do not know. But she is buried with me in the graveyard./

"So wait, her adopted father let her go to her death like that?!" Hakkai looked at him sadly.

/He was the man who hung me too. The well dressed one in the red coat. That was him./

"A good judge and good Christian?" Sanzo snorted. "Fucking hypocrite is what he is!"

/So I am in Hell./ Hakkai said sadly. /I am sure Kanan went up to Heaven. I was the only 'sin' she had ever had. I loved her so much Gojyo!' He buried his hands in his face. 'I LOVED HER!'/

Gojyo felt a slight pain in his heart at Hakkai's words, about loving Kanan. Hakkai had said he loved him. But Hakkai was already in love. His ghostly form had made him forget. Gojyo lowered his eyes to the floor. He did not want to believe that Hakkai's feelings would change now that he remembered.

'I'm not meant to be loved' Gojyo said to himself and closed his eyes. 'I gave my heart away, only to have it broken again….' The three of them stood in silence.

End Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next morning, the front lawn and street were lined with news vans and spectators. Reporters were constantly knocking on the door and tapping on the glass of the windows. They had to unplug the phone because of the constant ringing. Various flashes of camera lights were shining through the shutters, the media hoping to catch a glimpse of Hakkai's ghostly vision in any way possible. The three of them were sitting at the kitchen table, extremely annoyed by all the ruckus. Sanzo was squeezing his coffee mug tighter with each camera flash.

"That does it! I'm going out there!"

"No Sanzo!" Goku grabbed his wrist. "They'll swarm you!" He pulled his hand away.

"Fuck that! I'll tell those nosy sons of bitches what they want to hear!" Sanzo stormed out the door and onto the porch, where a million voices were chatting loudly a mile a minute and the flashes grew. Goku looked at Gojyo worriedly who just shrugged his shoulders and sipped his beer.

"I bet Sanzo is on TV right now!" Goku said and ran to the room to turn on the television. Sure enough, Sanzo was standing on the top step, his language constantly being 'bleeped' out and well as his finger.

'There appears to be a disgruntled resident of the house standing on the front step. He is not answering any questions about the ghost at this time-' Goku turned away from the television and went back to see Gojyo.

"What do we do when we need to go pick up groceries or the like? We'll be swarmed out there and I don't want to accidentally run anyone over!" Gojyo lit up a smoke.

"Goku, don't worry about it. We have enough food to last us two days. Since Sanzo just told the media to go fuck themselves with their boom mics, we'll send him as our errand boy. Besides, it's really only me and Hakkai they're after."

"Why you?"

"They said it on the news last night. They're curious about my 'relationship' with Hakkai." Sanzo came back in and locked the door.

"Damn media, they still can't take a fucking hint! Goku! Get me a beer!" Goku did so quickly, handing the can to Sanzo as he flopped down on the couch. "Get me the remote." Goku handed him the remote and sat down next to him on the couch as Sanzo surfed through the channels. He stopped at one particular local station that had the still frame of Hakkai hugging Gojyo.

'The Devil is taking refuge in that house! A portal opening up the demon world to let in evil spirits to devour the world and cover it in eternal darkness!' the people listening to the preacher cheered and clapped after each sentence and Sanzo had to change the station.

"Damn bible thumpers, that's all we need is for them to get all riled up!"

/A demon?/ Hakkai came down the steps after hearing the television /They think I am a demon? It is not my fault I am here./

"Don't worry about it Hakkai. People are always afraid of things they don't understand." Said Sanzo, sipping his beer.

/Maybe I should go on the TV and talk to the people?/ Sanzo glared at him.

"Hell no! That is something you CAN'T do! People are probably already scared knowing that ghosts exist and with you actually talking you'll send them into a panic. Just stay put." Hakkai looked at the flashing lights sadly and floated up the steps to head to the attic. Gojyo was going to follow him but Sanzo's voice stopped him. "Get the phonebook and call one of those mediums. I have enough money from tips last night to pay for it. The sooner we get the medium down here, the better. We have no other options. Get moving." Gojyo opened his mouth to say something but knew Sanzo was right so against his will, he did as Sanzo told him.

Later that night, as they were all getting ready for bed, Goku peeked through the shutters of his room at the news people camping in the back yard. A few were walking around and one even threw a paper cup on the ground. Goku grumbled about how inconsiderate they were but quickly turned away when the said man looked up at his window. He heard the toilet flush and a moment later Sanzo came in, closing the door behind him.

"They're still outside, Sanzo."

"And they will continue to be until they get what they want." He said angrily and shut off the light in the room. "Now go to bed." Goku got into his sleeping bag as Sanzo got into his. Goku looked at him for a while until Sanzo felt his gaze on his back. "Now what is its?"

"Mm…nothing." Sanzo sighed and rolled over to face him.

"It is something. Now what is it? Don't make me hit you."

"That's just it!" he said and sat up "You've been nothing but mean to me since we got here! All you do is sit around and drink and go to work!" Sanzo narrowed his eyes at him.

"Can we have this argument tomorrow? I have my so called 'job' tomorrow and said job is what will keep food in your stomach and clothes on your back. Instead of complaining, be grateful!"

"I am grateful, Sanzo" he said softly "You took care of me when no one else would…but recently, I've been feeling like a nuisance to you. You hardly look at me anymore and you shoo me away as if I was nagging child."

"That's because you are. You do nothing but nag me all day and call my name." Goku felt his cheeks puff out in anger.

"Then let me get a job." He said slowly, keeping an even tone when he felt his anger start to rise.

"Yeah right. You can't even read the funny pages in the newspaper for more than three minutes. You can't handle a job because you're stupid and you can't go to school because you're hyperactive and can't sit still." Goku's face turned red

"You can't stop me from doing what I want!"

"Yes I can."

"Fuck you, Sanzo!" he hit him with his pillow before grabbing his sleeping back and stomping out of the room. He went downstairs to the couch and sat on it heavily, unzipping his bag to make it into a large blanket. "Stupid Sanzo…that bastard is just so-" he growled and wiped his eyes with his sleeve before lying down. He pulled the blanket over his head and turned his face into the couch.

The next morning, Sanzo was the last one downstairs for breakfast. Gojyo was already on his third cup of coffee and Goku had just eaten his plate bare. Hakkai was floating behind Gojyo, talking to him softly about the mob outside. Goku was reading the paper intently and did not notice Sanzo come into the kitchen. Sanzo figured Goku was purposefully ignoring him after their little fight last night. He poured himself a cup of coffee and went to the front window, peeking through the blinds. Sure enough, every film crew was there.

"This is perfect!" Goku suddenly said, circling something in the paper with a red pen. Sanzo lifted an eyebrow but said nothing as Goku held up the paper in front of Gojyo and Hakkai. "It won't be hard at all!"

/Waiter wanted? That is a very demanding job, Goku./ Hakkai pointed out /Unless it has changed?/ Hakkai looked at Gojyo who shook his head.

"But it's something anybody can do! I don't need any background experience or recommendations!"

"Go for it, monkey" Gojyo said with a smirk, sipping his coffee. He did not have to look at Sanzo to know the man was probably furious.

"What's all this about a job?" Sanzo asked firmly, narrowing his eyes at Goku. Goku just looked at him and put his nose up. "Being a waiter is tough work, Goku. You're on your feet a lot. There is a lot to remember, you have to learn everything on the menu, you have to deal with people who can be real pains in the ass and lousy tips."

"But it's a job at least!" Sanzo grabbed the paper and read the ad.

"Goku, this says full time for the evening, and it's a diner. They're opened until at least 2:00 am." He read more "Preferably, they want you to work from 5:00 pm to 2:00 am. That's just ridiculous, Goku. I'm giving you the pleasure of staying home and playing your video games or chatting on the computer or whatever it is you do!"

"Hey Sanzo, let him do what he wants. If he doesn't like it, then he'll quit."

"Yeah! What Gojyo said!" Goku seconded him and took the paper back. Sanzo ripped the paper right back.

"The days they want fall on days I work at the bar. And we only have one car. Ours is completely useless as you know. We barely got here. And there is no way in all of Hell that you are walking there and back for a stupid little job!"

"Damn it, Sanzo! It's what I want to do so let me do it!" Goku hollered at him, slamming his fists on the table. Hakkai flew between them, floating inside the center of the table.

/Sanzo, you should let Goku do something on his own. This may be a way for him to start to grow up, like you are always telling him to./ Sanzo said nothing. /I think Goku should do what he wants and Goku,/ He turned to him /I support you in your decision./

"Thanks Hakkai." He smiled then frowned at Sanzo.

"Need I remind you, Goku, that you have VERY poor taste in job searching? Don't make me bring you PREVIOUS job before I met you." Goku's eyes widened and his face turned beet red in anger. Gojyo's brows went up in surprised curiosity and he looked at Goku suspiciously.

"Give me the fucking keys!" Goku cursed loudly as he took the paper and stormed to the hallway, picking up the truck keys that lay on the small table.

"Uh Goku? The truck is dead" Gojyo reminded him. Goku growled and threw the keys on the floor.

"Then I'll walk!"

"Don't you DARE go out that door, Goku!" Sanzo warned him, but his words fell on deaf ears as Goku quickly slipped through the door, the voices of the news reporters growing louder. Hakkai looked at Gojyo worriedly and then to Sanzo. "Stupid monkey!" Sanzo hissed under his breath and took his coffee upstairs with him and Gojyo flinched at the sound of the door slamming.

"Damn, he's pissed. Goku's finally growing balls though, standing up to a guy like him. Now he can stand up to anybody." Hakkai hugged him from behind.

/Do you have any work to do?/

"Not really, it can wait." he smirked "Why?" He looked back at him and Hakkai returned the smirk, moving his head down lower to Gojyo's cheek.

/I think we need to get our minds off everything that is going on. Are you feeling…tired?/ Gojyo grinned.

"I'm always tired!"

/

"Ready or not! Here I come!" Gojyo said loudly as he uncovered his eyes. He had fallen right to sleep and now the two were playing a game of hide and seek. He did feel a bit lame about playing a game intended for children, but this was HIS dream, and Hakkai did not know many other games. This one could be just as fun and with the promise of sex after he found Hakkai just made it all the sweeter.

"Little ghost, little ghost! Come out, come out wherever you are!" He searched around the house, looking behind the furniture and inside closets. There were not many places to hide but Hakkai was doing a damn good job. He was not in ghost form in Gojyo's dreams so he should not be hiding in walls. He went into the bedroom that was Sanzo's and Goku's, looking around in there. He walked around the bed to look in the little crawl space, when he heard retreating footsteps behind him.

"Hey! Fish out of water! Or something!" he ran out of the room but Hakkai was n where in sight. "Hakkai?" He called for him and continued to look around upstairs, since he would have heard if Hakkai went downstairs. He passed by one of the windows and looked out, noticing that it was dark. "That's strange…when did that happen?" The house got dark suddenly and the surrounding candles suddenly came on. "This is different."

He still did not see Hakkai and he was wondering where he was. He called for him again but still there was no answer. Gojyo froze when he saw one of the candles and its holder, floating in the air. He raised an eyebrow as it started to move down the hallway, as if someone was walking with it. Gojyo moved out of the way to let it pass and he felt a slight chill come over him.

"Hakkai?"

Still, Hakkai did not answer. He then heard the giggling of children and soft running footsteps go past him. The candle came back out of the other room, this time moving faster. Gojyo followed it as it went into his room, continuing to float. He heard the laughter and running again, and the candle followed suit. Gojyo smiled as he realized that it must be Annabelle and Alistair. Then he frowned, wondering if this was another flashback about Hakkai's death.

The giggling came again and this time, the two children were visible, but still transparent. They ran past him, giggling happily as a transparent Hakkai, holding the candle followed after them.

"Hakkai!" Gojyo said his name but Hakkai did not hear him.

"Annabelle! Alistair! You get back to your rooms this instant!" Hakkai called after them. Gojyo smiled and followed Hakkai into the master bedroom again, where he got a hold of Alistair first by the back of his nightdress. "Got you now, you little weasel!" Hakkai laughed and brought the boy up to his face where he started blowing raspberries on the boys' belly. The boy laughed happily, kicking his feet and begging for mercy. The little girl ran out from under the bed and pulled at Hakkai's sleeve.

"Me next! Me next!" She begged him, jumping up and down. Gojyo was shocked when he heard the sound of a baby start to cry loudly and Hakkai put Alistair down.

"Now you woke up your brother! Come with me." He told them and they listened to him as they hurried to the front upstairs room. Hakaryuu, who was sleeping on the rug, woke up when the baby started to cry. He stood next to the crib and wagged his tail gently when he saw Hakkai come in. Hakkai picked up the baby and gently rest it on his chest, patting its back and making soothing noises. Gojyo smiled at the scene and watched as Hakkai took the baby to the rocking chair and sat with him. The baby's cries seemed to stop once Hakkai started rocking and the other two were busying themselves with Hakaryuu.

"Kai Kai, when momma and dada coming home?" Asked Annabelle.

"They will be home soon. The gathering will not last much longer."

"Why does Theodore get to go to the big feast!?" Annabelle asked him with a pout. "The feast is coming up soon, Kai Kai! We wanna go! Right Ali!?"

"Right!"

"Your mother does not like to be away from her baby for long. The feast sometimes last all night. Theodore needs much more looking after than you two. Both of you would raise terror at that gathering." The pouted but them looked at each other and giggled. "But I will get in big trouble if you two are not in bed." he stood up with the baby still in his arms. "Come, back into your bed. You have had enough games for one night." They both 'aww'd in defeat and hurried back to their room, jumping up onto the bed and hiding under the covers. Hakaryuu let out a bark as the familiar sound of hoof beats came from outside.

"Momma and dada!" Alistair said happily. "Lets pretend we sleep, 'kay!"

"Yeah, yeah! Or else Kai Kai gets in trouble!"

'Kai Kai'. Gojyo laughed at the cute little pet name Hakkai had.

"I must go greet them." he kissed both their foreheads "Now go to sleep or now apples on your porridge tomorrow!" They both immediately closed their eyes and Hakkai walked past Gojyo once again, still holding the baby. He went downstairs and opened the door to greet his 'masters'. They looked to be young, maybe a few years older than himself, Gojyo noted. Both were decent looking. The woman took the baby and coddled it, heading into the kitchen. Hakkai spoke to the man about the gathering that started to tell him about it.

When Hakkai was finished talking to the man, he was excused to go to bed. Hakkai thanked him and walked up the steps, Hakaryuu right behind him. He walked pass Gojyo and went to the attic door, heading up the steps. Gojyo followed him, marveling at the fact that he could go through the door! It seemed it was the opposite now! He was the ghost and Hakkai was the mortal.

Hakkai sighed as he sat on his small bed, cracking his back. He laid back on the bed but not before blowing out his candle. Gojyo went over to him and leaned down to whisper to him when the sound of someone shouting outside alerted Hakkai awake.

"TO ARMS! TO ARMS! TO ARMS!" Hakkai gasped and ran to the small window, Gojyo following right behind him. He looked out and saw who could only be Paul Revere riding through the streets "TO ARMS! TO ARMS! TO ARMS!"

"Oh no…the regulars are coming!" Hakkai had a look of worry as he went under his bed and pulled out a musket. Gojyo followed him as he ran down the attic steps and down the main ones, meeting up with the man who also had a musket.

"The regulars are coming! The fight is beginning!"

"Daniel! Please be careful!" Said his wife, giving him a hug. She hugged Hakkai too and the children came running down to say 'goodbye' to their father Hakkai. Gojyo joined them at the front door as he watched Hakkai and Daniel run into the streets, joining other men who were also armed.

"Wow…I just witnessed Paul Reveres ride." He smirked "Damn, if I had a history report to do now, I'd pass it with flying colors!" he was not worried about Hakkai going off to fight because that was no how he died. "Hm…so much for sex." He sighed and noticed everything was going white, which means he was waking up. But why was he seeing all this now? Did this tie in to part of Hakkai's life or was it just a flashback that Hakkai was remembering and reflecting in his dream?

Gojyo sat up in bed with the same thought, giving a yawn. Things were getting much more interesting every day.

/

Gojyo was sitting at the table, eating his TV dinner silently while watching Sanzo stare out the front window. Goku had yet to come home and the sun was just starting to set. He had opened the indoor shutters and was already photographed a hundred times. Hakkai was floating in the kitchen, uncomfortable by the silence. Sanzo finally broke the silence in the room by swearing.

"Damn it! Where the hell is he?! He probably got lost on the way back!"

/Maybe you should go out and look for him./ Offered Hakkai.

"He wants to be independent, then he can damn well find his own way home!"

/But you just said-/

"Can it, ghost!" Hakkai looked hurt and floated down next to Gojyo, who glared at Sanzo.

"Ignore him, Hakkai. He just doesn't want to admit that he cares about his little monkey." One of the decorative shot glasses of Gojyo's collection was thrown at him, hitting him hard in the temple. "MOTHER FUCKER! THAT HURT!" Before he could say more to Sanzo, he had already thrown the front door open and stormed out. Hakkai looked at the spot where he was hit.

/It's a little bump. You will be fine./

"Stupid pansy-ass- " he growled "Now I have a splitting headache!"

Hakkai followed him up the stairs as Gojyo went into his room to get some medicine for his now pounding head. He went into his end table drawer and pulled out a small bottle, going into the bathroom for some water. He took the pill and drank down some water, looking at the now red bump on his temple. He raised an eyebrow as he saw something like a black shadow pass by the bathroom from in the mirror.

"Hakkai, you-" he paused when he saw that Hakkai was still standing right next to him.

/Yes, Gojyo?/

"Who was-" He threw the cup away and stepped out of the bathroom, looking down the hallway, but saw nothing.

/Gojyo, what is it?/

Gojyo did not answer him but looked in all the rooms. He found nothing but once again, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the black shadow again. He wondered if Hakkai was not the only ghost in the house anymore. Now that Sanzo said he found something in the cellar and Gojyo himself had flashbacks, he worried that they had stirred something else awake. Gojyo smirked and shook his head.

"I've seen too many bad horror movies." Hakkai cocked his head to the side.

/Horror movies?/

"Nevermind. But I need to ask you something…are you SURE you're the, you know, only ghost here?" Hakkai was surprised by his question.

/Well, yes. I have been the only one here…why do you ask?/

"It's just…I saw something…like a black shadow, and-" he saw it again retreat down the stairs "SHIT!" Gojyo took off after it. "SANZO?! GOKU!? IF IT'S YOU GUYS YOU BETTER KNOCK IT OFF!" But no answer came from downstairs. "Damn…" His hissed. "What the hell is going on?!" he felt a chill run up his spine.

/Gojyo…/ He turned to Hakkai who was looking down the hall towards Sanzo and Goku's room. Gojyo noticed the look of fear on Hakkai's face.

"Hakkai? What is it?" He followed his line of vision but saw nothing.

/Gojyo…someone is here…/ Gojyo felt his hair stand on end. /I…I have never…felt this before! Someone is in here! Someone is here with us right now!/

"What do we do?! Or what do you do?! What is it?! A ghost? A demon? What?!"

/I…I do not know what it is!/ He wrapped his arms around himself.

"Stay close to me!" Hakkai floated next to Gojyo as close as he could. "Are you sure you don't know what it is?"

/It is something…different….I can not tell if they are bad or good…I sense nothing….I can not see it….but I can feel it…/ Gojyo thought for a second and got an idea.

"Hakkai, come with me!" Hakkai followed Gojyo back up the stairs and into the other far room next to Sanzo's and Goku's. There were still a few boxes there and he started looking through them frantically. Hakkai continued to look around, still feeling the presence of another being nearby. What was Gojyo looking for and what was taking him so long?

/Gojyo….hurry! What the devil are you looking for?!/

"AH HA! THIS!" He held up an old rustic crucifix.

/A crucifix? I thought you did not believe in all that?/

"I don't…but, well, it was my mother's and- nevermind. It's just, I'll believe anything and even TRY anything at this point. Come on, lets go back downstairs." Hakkai followed him back to the living room where he sat on the couch with the crucifix.

/Gojyo, I think it actually worked. I no longer feel that presence…at least, not as much…/ The front door suddenly flew open and a large amount of flashes lit up the room as Sanzo and Goku squeezed in through the door. /Welcome home./ Hakkai gave a polite smile.

"Great news! I got the job!" Goku said happily, giving a double thumbs up and grinning from ear to ear. Sanzo looked unhappy and crossed his arms, saying nothing.

"That's great, monkey! Lets do some practicing!" Gojyo smirked and snapped his fingers. "Waiter! Get me a cup of coffee and a slice of toast please!"

"Up yours, cockroach! Get it yourself! I'm off duty!" he stuck his tongue out playfully and Sanzo still said nothing as he headed for the kitchen. He stopped when he noticed Gojyo holding the crucifix.

"We crucifying someone tonight?" he asked sarcastically. Gojyo just gave him a snobbish look.

"For your information, ever since we found that thing in the basement, we have another unwanted guest, and we don't know who or what it is." Sanzo raised a brow.

"What makes you say that?"

/Gojyo saw it…and I can feel it. After he grabbed the crucifix the presence stopped a bit…but I can still feel it around the premises./

"Another ghost or something?" Goku asked and he suddenly turned his head to the right. "What was that?!" Gojyo jumped up and Sanzo followed his line of vision. "I think I saw something! A black shadow! It was almost like…like, the person's shadow was cast on the far wall as if the light shining was over on the other side! Like they were walking right past us!"

"I just saw something black on the ceiling!" Sanzo said, looking up. "Either we are all seeing the same thing or there's more than one." Hakkai floated closer to Gojyo.

/I only feel one presence…/ the phone suddenly rang, making them all jump.

"Shit! I forgot I plugged the phone back in!" Gojyo hissed, embarrassed that he had gotten scared. Sanzo went over and picked it up.

"Hello?….Oh, yes. Finally one got back to us…yes, that's correct. But now we're having more trouble….yeah, uh, like a ghost, or a demonic entity, or something…yeah…alright, tomorrow morning is great…the person paying doesn't care about the price…right, see you tomorrow." He hung up. "9:00 tomorrow morning."

"But that's too long! What if Hakkai is in danger?!" Gojyo pointed out, running his hands through his hair nervously. Hakkai looked equally as nervous next to him.

"Hey, hey, relax. Settle down, Gojyo. You won't be much help acting like an idiot! We're lucky the medium can make it here at all! He will be here tomorrow morning, and that's not too far away. You're paying extra for the speedy service, you know."

"I don't care!"

"But what do we do until then?" Goku asked, giving a little yawn. "It's too early for bed yet…" Gojyo went into the kitchen cabinet above the sink and pulled out a bottle of sleeping pills, taking two.

"I know I'll need these tonight." He said, putting them back. "Come on, Hakkai, you come up to bed with me. We have a long and early morning tomorrow."

"And WE have work." Sanzo said flatly, emphasizing the 'we' on purpose. "There is not much we can do now as it stands. Whatever is around here, we can't really see or hear. Lets just hope we can make it through the night peacefully." Gojyo nodded and headed upstairs with Hakkai, the other two following up right after.

In Sanzo and Goku's room, the two got undressed in silence with their back to one another. Sanzo had changed more quickly and was already in the sleeping bag, rolling over on his side. Goku was still looking around the room, trying to catch another glimpse of the ghost. Even though he was scared, he was curious. Once he was finished changing, he joined Sanzo, laying flat on his back. He picked at his nails a bit and looked around the room. He felt his body start to shake slightly as he thought back to the ghost image he saw.

"Are you cold or something?" Sanzo suddenly asked flatly, which made Goku jerk slightly.

"N-no…" He heard Sanzo sigh.

"What's wrong?" He still had his back turned and Goku looked over at him then back to the ceiling.

"What do you care?"

"I don't. I just want you to stop shivering so I can get some sleep." Goku was about to get up and go sleep on the couch again but the fear of being all alone downstairs with ghosts flying around stopped him dead in his tracks.

"It's nothing! Just go to sleep."

"I know you're scared. I can tell by the tone of your voice." Goku sighed.

"Can you really tell that I'm scared?"

"Hmph."

"Hey Sanzo?"

"Now what?"

"I'm too scared to fall asleep." He rolled over onto his side so he was facing Sanzo's back. "what if those ghosts or ghost come back? They seem all over the place."

"Goku," Sanzo started, still facing away from him. "Let me tell you something that your monkey brain is too small to figure out for yourself. This is coming from my experiences before this house and the present. Don't be afraid of the dead be afraid of the living. The dead can't hurt you." Goku smiled softly at that as he took in Sanzo's words.

"Thanks Sanzo…that makes me feel a lot better!"

"Hmph." Sanzo did not want to tell him that he was not one hundred percent sure at the moment that the dead could not hurt them. He felt Goku snuggle up against his back and pull the sleeping bag over his head. "I thought you said you weren't scared now."

"I still don't want to see anything!" Sanzo rolled his eyes and closed them, snuggling his head deeper into the pillow.

"You know, now that you have a job and can start taking care of yourself you don't need me around to protect you anymore. You don't need to crawl up under my apron to hide from ghosts." Goku opened his eyes and looked at the nape of Sanzo's neck. He brought his hand up to trace little patterns on Sanzo's shoulder blade.

"Is that why you didn't want me getting a job? You think I wouldn't need you anymore?"

"I'm not saying that!"

"I think you are!" he came out from under the covers and leaned his head over Sanzo's. "I still need you, Sanzo…job or not…I just need you." He kissed Sanzo's temple gently. "And I'm the only one who can put up with your bullshit." Sanzo scoffed.

"Whatever. Look, I'm tired and we have to get up early for that medium tomorrow. Not to mention we have work in the evening! So I suggest you get some sleep, monkey." Goku smiled down at him, now knowing the truth behind Sanzo's firmness and knew that Sanzo was pleased to hear that Goku still needed him. Although, he knew Sanzo would never admit it out loud but Goku just knew, and that was just enough to keep him content.

"Goodnight Sanzo."

"Hmph."

/

Gojyo sat up in the bed, rubbing the back of his head lazily as he looked around his dream room, searching for Hakkai. He was never sure if he was in his dream or a flashback to Hakkai's time. Turning his head, he glanced out the window and saw nothing but trees and fields. He was in Hakkai's time in his dream state. Now Hakkai will either be able to hear him, or he will go about his life normally. Swinging his legs over the bed, he stood up and stretched his back, hearing it crack. He had just opened his mouth to call for Hakkai when he heard some unfamiliar male voices coming from the hallway.

"Who are these three fools who reside in this house?" Said one.

"They look to be people of the present day. Whoever they are they woke us up from our slumber."

"Yes, that golden haired man ventured into our void. The fool."

"That sinner may be on his way to escaping this Earthly prison, and we can NOT have that. No ghost on OUR watch will escape to peace."

'Escape to peace?' Gojyo repeated to himself as he peeked around the doorframe and into the hallway. What he saw were almost silhouette figures with a more holographic look to them. He could clearly make out body movements and limbs, which looked just like a human. They also had a light shining in the center of their bodies where their heart or lungs would be.

"Lets just keep an eye on things around here. These mortals can do more than we can, remember." Gojyo watched as the two beings slowly disappeared. He played over their words in his mind for a few minutes then turned back to the room, and came face to face with one of the beings.

"SHIT!"

He stumbled back then shot up from the bed, panting softly and sweating. His eyes were wide as he gripped the covers tightly. What was that all about? He could never remember a time being so scared than he was just then. And he did not like it. He sneered as he thought back to the strange ghostly beings he saw in his dream. Who were they and why were they holding Hakkai? And why did they scare the shit out of him? There came a sudden loud knocking on the door and Gojyo almost jumped out of his skin.

"WHAT?!"

"Gojyo, you up?!" It was Goku "The medium will be here soon! Sanzo said for you to get your red cockroach ass out of bed!" Gojyo grumbled and threw the covers off of him. He felt the room get cold suddenly and Hakkai came through the attic door, looking worried. He looked at Gojyo sadly and wrapped his arms around himself.

/Gojyo, I could not find my way into your dream…where were you?/ He asked softly. Gojyo said nothing and wiped the sweat from his brow, resting his elbows on his knees. /You look frightened and troubled…did something happen?/ Hakkai floated over to him. /You even look pale./

"Some strange shit happened, Hakkai. That's all. I can't explain it so maybe the medium can do it." He stood up and put on a pair of fresh pants and a plain black shirt. "Who should be here fairly soon." Hakkai flew over to him.

/This medium…do you think they will help?/ Gojyo shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, Hakkai. We're doing everything we can and this medium is our last hope." There came a shout of "HE'S HERE" from downstairs, likely from Goku. "Well, just like, stay in the walls, or something. I don't know what to expect."

/Very well./ Hakkai said softly and faded into the wall.

Gojyo went downstairs just as Sanzo was opening up the door. A young man, not much older than themselves, stood dressed in black attire. He took off his black hat in greeting and smiled at the three of them. His hair was an odd color of light blonde, almost white, and his eyes were a stunning blue.

"Good morning, sirs. Beautiful day, is it not?" The cameras and the babbling cries from the media practically overpowered the medium's voice. Goku ushered him in and slammed the door, locking it. "Quite a mosh pit out there." He smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hazel, Hazel Grosse. I am the medium you called for assistance with your ghost."

"Sanzo." He shook Hazel's hand and the other two introduced themselves.

"Now then, tell me all you can about this, 'ghost', of yours." He asked politely, taking off his cloak and handing it to Goku, along with his hat.

"Would you like some coffee or tea?" Asked Gojyo "or a beer?"

"Ah, coffee would be wonderful. It is quite early."

They went into the kitchen and Hazel was given the chair at the left end of the table. Goku was busy making the coffee as Gojyo and Sanzo made small talk with him. They did not want to say anything else about Hakkai, since Gojyo wanted to know if this medium was real. Hazel closed his eyes for a few minutes, his hands neatly folded on the table. Gojyo and Sanzo exchanged glances while Goku waited patiently for the coffee to finish brewing.

"Hmm….I defiantly feel a disturbance here. More than one spirit. I must say, this is nothing like I've felt before."

"Is that bad?" Goku asked him.

"Not necessarily. The dead have very little power over us mortals, not counting emotional attachments. Let me sit for a little while longer and sort things out." He closed his eyes and sat very still in the chair. Gojyo raised an eyebrow and hoped this guy was not going to charge by the hour if he continued to do this. The coffee was finally done and Goku gave them all a cup, putting the milk and sugar in the center of the table. The noise from the mugs made Hazel open his eyes. "Ah, thank you."

"So what's involved in all this?" Sanzo asked him, eyeing him suspiciously to let the man know he had better not try to pull a fast one of them. Hazel just smiled and stirred in his milk and sugar.

"Not a lot. All I need is your concentration and will power. Leave the rest to me. And I will be using mental mediumship, which means I will mentally communicate with the spirits around and translate them back to you."

"Hold it, you could just be making stuff up then, if that's the case." Sanzo pointed out but Hazel just smiled.

"Mr. Sanzo, it is skepticism like yours that ruins these communications. You did not tell me a lot about your ghost because you want to see if I am real or not. Smart move." He smirked "I will prove to you that my powers are real. Now then, if everyone is ready, we may begin." The three looked at each other and nodded.

Hazel opened up his large duffle bag and took out some various candles and incense, setting them up in the kitchen. He lit the candles and incense, making sure the curtains are closed and all lights were off. He then laid out a small purple tablecloth with golden stars, suns, and moons. Hazel then sat back in the chair and took a sip of his coffee before smiling at the three of them.

"Ready? Everyone join hands."

"Again?" Sanzo said lazily but joined hands with the others.

"Now, I want everyone to clear your minds completely except for the thought of Hakkai. Keep that thought while I contact Hakkai mentally first."

Hakkai floated silently as he watched this man before him speak in strange words as well as English. He did not know of these people called 'mediums' or what they really did, but he assumed they were almost like witches who cast spells on people. Or even the strange fortune tellers he had heard about from some of the sailor men he had tumbled with. Whatever the man was doing, he felt a strange sensation in his head, one that he had never felt before.

/Hello, Hakkai. Can you hear me?/ Hakkai's eyes widened as he heard the man speak in his mind but his mouth was not moving.

/Y-yes…/ He answered softly, a bit hesitant.

/Very good. My name is Hazel and I'm here to help you as best I can./

/Y-yes…/

/But I need you to corporate with me, understand?/

/Yes sir./

/Now, Mr. Sanzo does not believe my powers are real. Can you tell me something about the three of them that only YOU would know?/ Hakkai thought then smiled a bit as he thought of what to say. He started telling Hazel what he knew.

"Hakkai says, that you, Mr. Sanzo, use a hair growth cream to help that little receding hairline that is beginning to show, as well as the use of blonde dye to cover up some premature gray strands." Sanzo's eyes widened to half their size and Gojyo burst out laughing hysterically.

"OH MY GOD! THE ASSHOLE NEEDS ROGAINE AND DYE!"

"SHUT UP!" Sanzo screeched loudly and even Goku had to cover a little giggle.

"MONKEY, YOU'RE FUCKING AN OLD MAN!"

"WHY YOU-!"

"Settle down, now. I'm getting some more information. He says that you, Gojyo-"

"STOP!" Gojyo shouted, now worried that Hakkai had given the man some VERY personal information. "I BELIEVE YOU!" Hazel smirked and bat his eyelashes at Sanzo.

"Believe me now, my good chum?" Sanzo was bright red with anger as he shook in rage on the chair. "Back to concentration, people." He said and closed his eyes, his mind back to Hakkai. /Now then, what can you tell me about yourself?/ Hakkai told him all he could that he thinks could help Hazel. /Very good. That is all I need from you now/ He opened his eyes and looked back at the other three. "Now I know about Hakkai, he spoke to me, and Mr. Gojyo, you may ask him yourself if you like."

"Nah, that's okay."

"Now, I'm going to channel these 'other' spirits I sense here. Concentrate again." He closed his eyes and was silent for about five minutes before he opened his mouth to speak. "These spirits I am speaking to are types of guards, barrier guards if you will. They hold the power to keep someone's spirit here on earth in a prison, in this case, the house." He was quiet again, and then spoke. "They are not evil, but they are not good either. They do only as they are told by a spirit with a stronger life force then they."

"Do you know who it is?" Goku asked and Gojyo shushed him. Hazel said nothing for about ten minutes this time, his face hard with concentration and some beads of sweat beginning to trail down his face.

"I smell tobacco…from a pipe." Hazel finally spoke and Goku sniffed the air, not smelling anything. "I can hear the gentle humming of a young woman…and I can see a dog romping around outside…a large oak tree with many stories….this young woman is far away…wandering along an old road…the dog runs around outside by the oak tree…then goes to an unmarked grave and begins to dig…this barrier, or strange void that Mr. Sanzo opened up by entering the wine cellar, is what is holding Hakkai in this house. Break the void, we break the hold."

"How do we do that?" Gojyo asked.

"Hakkai's body is wrongfully buried in an unmarked grave in the graveyard behind this house." The three exchanged confused and shocked glances. "A little boy is here…he says that Hakkai was buried in the far, far end of the graveyard where 'bad' people went. He was unable to rest peacefully among the 'good' people." Gojyo remembered when he first arrived how he looked through the graveyard and noticed the small clearing of old, unmarked stones. That must be where Hakkai is!

"This man, a William Cornwall, whom I smell the tobacco pipe from…is the cause of all this. This man gave the word to bury Hakkai, so he owns his spirit in a way. He cursed Hakkai to always remain here on earth to remind him of his sins and his crimes. In order to free Hakkai, you must dig his body back up and bury him properly. The girl, this Kanan, Hakkai's sister and lover, was buried properly, but her restless spirit still walks the earth waiting for Hakkai. And the dog…the children buried it under the oak tree. Now that you and I know this, Mr. William Cornwall is not happy at all. He is resting peacefully in the afterlife, but still holds this control."

"Wait, we have to actually, LITERALLY, dig his body up?" Gojyo asked, his lip going up in a disgusted sneer. "A 200 and some year old body? Damn!"

"Yes, that is what you must do. Once you bury Hakkai properly, the others, his dog and Kanan, will go with him. These other spirits in the house, do not fear them. They will continue to wander around the house, but pay them no mind. They are only doing their job. They don't care what happens to Hakkai." He smiled "We can drop hands now."

They did so and Gojyo looked at Hakkai who smiled happily at him. But Hakkai noticed that Gojyo was wearing a frown, and he turned his head away from him. Hakkai looked hurt and put his hands on Gojyo's shoulder, only to have himself ignored by Gojyo again. Goku was cleaning up the coffee cups and Sanzo lit up a cigarette.

"What do we owe you?" Sanzo asked him casually.

"I usually charge $250 for my services, but since I enjoyed your company, gentlemen, and seeing as how you live in a poor bachelor pad, $100."

Sanzo looked over at Gojyo who got up and went to go write a check for Hazel. Hazel followed him upstairs where Gojyo got out his checkbook from the end table. Gojyo made the check out to him and turned to hand it to Hazel when he came face to face with a green pendant.

"A special gift, for you." Hazel said with a smile. "It's a special piece of magic that will aid you." Gojyo raised an eyebrow and took it from the man. It was a deep emerald green wrapped in a thin gold cage. "You will need it soon."

"For what? Is something bad going to happen?" Hazel just smiled and put his hat back on.

"That is for me to know and you to find out. Enjoy the mystery of this piece. And please, do not loose it. You will find it will bring you extreme happiness when you need it." He smiled happily again and held his hand out to Gojyo. "I'm honored that I can help and please, call me if you have any questions."

Gojyo shook his hand and nodded, saying nothing. Hazel headed back downstairs and said goodbye to Sanzo and Goku before walking out the door and back into the media mosh pit. Gojyo looked at the pendant again and slipped it around his neck, sticking it inside his shirt. He was dreading this part, but knew it was coming. They now know the way to free Hakkai, and he would loose him forever or at least until he died. He did not want to give Hakkai up. He did not want him to pass on. But still, what right did he have holding Hakkai back? If he were in Hakkai's place, he would probably want to pass on to peace. He was never a selfish man but now, he felt that he was. He wanted to put Hakkai's feelings aside for the sake of his own and he hated himself for that. Ignoring the call from Goku and Hakkai to come downstairs, Gojyo went into his room and shut the door loudly.

The next day, the three of them sat at the kitchen table in silence. Gojyo kept looking at the pendant Hazel had given him, wondering. He said it would bring happiness, but that was all he knew. Goku had no idea about what it could be and Sanzo believes it is just a comfort gift. Gojyo looked into the living room, seeing Hakkai looking out the windows. The news crews have died down since they were becoming 'old news'. Gojyo smirked at that. Hakkai came floating over to them, appearing to take a seat at the empty spot at the table.

He looked at Gojyo with a frown. He knew Gojyo was troubled by something. Last night while he was asleep, Hakkai found he could not get into Gojyo's dreams. It was as if something was blocking him from doing so. Gojyo did not question it nor did he mention anything about it. The man appeared to be in deep, troubling thought. He looked over at Sanzo who was calmly sipping his coffee and Goku who was slowly eating a stack of pancakes. If Gojyo was upset about Hakkai possibly leaving this world, then what could he do? Stay here and wait for Gojyo to die? What of Kanan and Hakaryuu? It would not be fair to them. What about himself? If he went to heaven, then he could wait for Gojyo to join him, then be surrounded by all his loved ones. But would leaving Gojyo alone until he dies the right thing to do? What would Gojyo think? What would he feel? Hakkai wished Gojyo would share these thoughts with him. However, Hakkai really did not want to bring the subject up either, in fear of being hurt or having second thoughts.

"Hey, Hakkai?" Goku broke him of his thoughts and he looked at him. "Do you want….um, nevermind." Goku went back to his pancakes and Hakkai frowned sadly. Sanzo looked at him next, putting his mug down.

"You're almost free, Hakkai." He said "Free to be at rest." Hakkai nodded and Gojyo had to look away. "I know what you are probably thinking….and Gojyo too. I won't tell you what to do, but we are going to be digging you up tonight, so you better think long and hard about what you want to do." Hakkai looked over at Gojyo who had a plain look on his face as he could not meet his eyes. Hakkai said nothing and slowly faded away. Goku paused in his chewing to look at Sanzo in question. Sanzo shrugged his shoulders and went back to drinking his coffee.

Later that night, under the cover of darkness, the three men took the two shovels from the shed and headed to the graveyard. It was a chilly night and a light fog snaked around the numerous old gravestones. Goku moved in closer to Sanzo, who appeared unafraid. Gojyo looked around and started to feel a chill run down his spin. This place was scaring him he had to admit. Something did not seem right. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could have sworn he heard people chatting softly. He could not make out what they were saying, but it sounded like more than a few voices…as if all the tombstones were talking. Goku gulped and suddenly tripped on a dead tangle of weeds, making him shriek in fear.

"GAH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFFFFF!" Sanzo growled.

"Would you relax! It's just some old weeds! You big pussy." He pulled Goku along and Sanzo noticed Gojyo had inched a lot closer to him than before. He knew they were both scared, but of what he did not know. It was just a bunch of stones and dead bodies, nothing else. It was not long until they arrived at the back of the graveyard and looked around the small area. Only four and a half tiny tombstones were left, their words completely faded and scratched.

"Where do you think Hakkai is?" Asked Goku.

"I would guess in the back." Said Gojyo. "I mean, these people all have markers, and no one liked Hakkai so they didn't give him one." He pointed to a small patch of dead, rocky dirt. No grass had grown there for years, it appeared. That must be where Hakkai was buried. Hazel said in the far, far back of the cemetery.

"Alright boys, start digging." Sanzo commanded, handed the shovel to Goku.

"Why not you too?!" Gojyo hissed in annoyance. "Why us?!"

"Because I'll probably need to carry his skeleton out. You think you two pansy-asses could handle that?" he scoffed and lit up a cigarette. "Just start digging, and do it now. I don't want to be out here all night!"

Gojyo sucked his teeth and shoved the shovel into the dry dirt, taking out the first scoop. Goku mumbled under his breath and joined him. Sanzo sat back and watched them dig themselves deeper and deeper into the dirt. He smirked as he took a quick puff, wanting to see their faces when they found Hakkai. Sanzo had seen things much worse in his lifetime and would rather sleep next to a dead body if he had to choose. Gojyo was just about to take a break from digging when he felt his shovel hit something. Goku paused as he heard it too. Immediately, Gojyo felt a strong, heavy force travel through his body that nearly knocked him up and out of the hole! He felt wave after wave of anger and despair, of pain and humiliation. The voices came again, louder this time but still incoherent. What if they were trying to hurt Hakkai now that they were so close?!

"KEEP DIGGING, GOKU! I'VE FOUND HIM!" Gojyo spend up his digging but then resorted to digging with his hands. He started to reveal traces of old, tattered clothing and felt the hard texture of bones. Parts of a ribcage were starting to appear, as well as a shoulder bone. Goku saw what Gojyo was digging and felt sick. He jumped out of the hole and immediately vomited in disgust. Sanzo rolled his eyes and put out his smoke, walking casually over to the hole. He peered down and saw Gojyo revealing more of Hakkai's skeleton. He was impressed with Gojyo's eagerness and the fact that he was holding up, despite digging up the remains of his dead lover. "HELP ME OUT, SANZO! PLEASE!" Gojyo called up to him. Sanzo cracked his knuckles and jumped down into the hole.

"We're getting close to him now…keep digging, Gojyo."

"THESE VOICES AND FEELINGS ARE FUCKING KILLING ME!" He shouted, digging frantically. Sanzo raised a brow at that but knelt down to help him dig. Goku was finally done throwing up and wobbled over to the hole. Sanzo shouted up to him.

"Goku! Go start digging a grave for Hakkai in the graveyard! Put him next to somebody, anybody! Dig it as deep as you can!" Goku gulped but nodded.

"Okay! Call me if you need anything!" Goku said and took off, looking for a place to start digging.

They worked long into the night, until the moon was starting to set and the tiniest hint of the morning sun was starting to appear. Sanzo and Gojyo had finally uncovered Hakkai's whole body. Gojyo stood up and looked down at the remains of his lover. There was hardly anything left of his clothes, but they were the same ones he wears now. Sanzo looked at Gojyo, shaking his shoulder.

"Hey….you ready to pick him up?" Gojyo just nodded at him dumbly. "He might fall apart….we'll have to be very, VERY careful. Here, you get up out of the hole and I'll lift him up to you. I don't think all the bones have to be intact, just buried properly." Gojyo looked at him and nodded, climbing out of the hole.

"O-okay, Sanzo….lift him up." With gentle ease, Sanzo lifted up Hakkai's top end first. He pulled him completely out of the dirt and lifted the skeleton up by the ribcage. He was relieved to see that Hakkai's bones still stayed together. He looked up at Gojyo.

"Alright! You ready for him!?"

"Y-yeah…." Sanzo lifted the body up to Gojyo who grabbed it under the shoulders, dragging it up. Looking at the corpse now, he too had to hurry away to throw up. Sanzo crawled out of the hole and figured Gojyo would eventually do that. He could tell by the look on his face. He scanned for Goku and found the top of his brown hair sticking out of a hole in the middle of the graveyard.

"Hey, Gojyo!" He called over to him.

"W-what?" He wiped his mouth.

"Best you get back to the house…tell Hakkai what we are about to do….and say 'goodbye'."

Gojyo felt his heart sink. He felt it sink to his stomach then down to his toes. His body felt heavy and his eyes welled with tears. This was it. This was finally it. What he had been fearing and dreading since yesterday. He immediately ran towards the house, hoping he would still be able to see Hakkai. He burst through the back door and ran into the living room.

"HAKKAI!" He called "HAKKAI!" Hakkai appeared before him, his figure faded. He looked tired and weak.

/G-Gojyo…./ Gojyo ran to hug him but went right through him.

"DAMN IT!" he tried again in an effortless attempt to hold him, but he kept falling through. "DAMN IT! I WANT TO HOLD YOU!" he cried and fell to his knees. "I can't hold you….I may never see you again…and I want just one hug…just one!" he looked up at Hakkai. "They are burying you now…" Hakkai nodded softly

'I know…I can feel it. Here.' He placed his hand over his heart. 'I feel Cornwall's power fading…'

"Hakkai….I….I …as much as I don't want it…you have to go….you have to move on." He looked at him sadly.

'Gojyo….I do not want to leave you. I have been here for over 200 years…but I can not stand to loose you. I lost one loved one…taken from me.I do not want to be taken away from you….' He knelt down in front of Gojyo. 'I love you…I want-' he suddenly stopped as a bright light appeared from the top of the steps.

Both turned to look at it, Gojyo having to squint to see through the brightness. Hakkai looked at it longingly and stood up. He felt warmth fill his body and a large chunk of his pain and sorrows lift. Gojyo watched him, tears pouring down his face. This was it…this would be the last he would see of his Hakkai.

'Kanan….' Hakkai whispered 'It is so good to see you again…' Gojyo could not see her but knew she was there. 'Wait….Kanan….' he turned to Gojyo, looking down at him sadly 'Gojyo…what do you want me to do…'  
"I can't keep you here…it's not right! You deserve to be at peace, Hakkai!" It felt like a hundred knives stabbing him in the gut with each word he spoke. Hakkai had a look of pure sadness and regret. 'Gojyo…I-' he was cut short by hearing Hazel's voice in his head.

Gojyo heard the voice too and he looked around 'Hazel…?'

'Hakkai…you have a choice. It is a win-win situation.' He chuckled 'You are safely buried and your grave is marked. You have been forgiven for all your trespasses and sins. Kanan and Hakaryuu will move on, regardless if you go with them. But if you wish to stay here with Gojyo, then you can. It all has to do with the pendant I gave you, Gojyo.' Gojyo took it out of his shirt and looked at it. 'It is a Spirit Stone, a special one. If you choose to keep Hakkai, then Hakkai's spirit will be encased in that pendant. You will not be able to speak or call to him, but he will always be with you. You must choose now.' Gojyo looked at Hakkai, who smiled at him.

'Gojyo…do you wish me to stay?' Gojyo looked at the pendant.

"If I can't speak or call to you, then what good is it?"

'It is the feeling that you know I am there, with you.' Gojyo thought for a moment and shook his head.

"No Hakkai…it's not worth it. You have been trapped for too long in a prison, I can't keep you in another for my own selfish reasons!"

'So you wish for me to go?' Gojyo nodded sadly.

"As long as you promise I can see you again?" Hakkai smiled at him and leaned down to give him a ghostly kiss on the lips.

'Of course I will….I have all eternity to wait for you, and I will.' Sanzo and Goku had coming running it, curious as to what the light was coming from the house. They saw Hakkai and Gojyo and the light at the stairway. They both gazed at it in shock and amazement. Hakkai floated over to them. 'I am leaving now…take good care of Gojyo, he needs you now.'

"You really are going?" Goku said, tears welling up in his eyes.

'Yes…but do not worry….we will meet again." He reassured him. 'Just not for a long time.' Goku smiled through his tears and wiped his eyes. He looked at Sanzo who just nodded at him. Hakkai smiled at him and went back over to Gojyo. Gojyo stood up to face him.

"I wish I could hold you…who knows when I'll see you again." Hakkai smiled.

'Not for a while yet, Gojyo.' Hakkai stroked his face and give him another kiss as he turned to the stairway. He started to walk up the steps and then turned back for another look. Gojyo gave a little wave to him and Hakkai waved back, smiling. He waved to Sanzo and Goku, Goku waving happily back and Sanzo with a two finger wave. The light became brighter as Hakkai ascended the stairs and soon he had completely disappeared. Gojyo suddenly dashed up the steps, calling for Hakkai but the light disappeared and he ended up tripping on the steps.

"HAKKAI!" He called and slammed his fist on the steps. "Damn it….damn it…!" Goku looked at Sanzo and hugged him tight.

"Ow! Monkey you're hurting me!"

"I don't want you to go…" he whispered to him. "I don't want to loose you!"

"Stupid monkey" he sighed "I'm not going to leave you. Although I will say this, you better die before me." Goku looked up at him, blinking through his tears.

"W-why would you say that, Sanzo?" he said, hurt. Sanzo ruffled his hair and pulled his head closer to his chest.

"Who would take care of you if I'm not here? If you go before me, whether you are ill or God forbid something happens, I know I could always take care of you. At least now I know someone is waiting for you on the other side, who will watch over you for me. I'll be damned if I go before you." Goku clenched his eyes shut and held Sanzo close.

"I love you, Sanzo."

"Yeah….I know, monkey." He heard Gojyo walk heavily back down the stairs and their eyes met. He saw Sanzo hold Goku and he felt the sharp shooting pain in his heart thinking about holding Hakkai. But he was never able too. Not in real life. He walked over to them and Goku jumped to hug him.

"I'm sorry, Gojyo. I'm so sorry!"

"It's…it's okay, Goku. I'll….I'll be alright….sometime."

"Its going to be hard, Gojyo" Sanzo said calmly. "But Goku and I are here." Gojyo gave a small smile.

"Yeah…this house feels so much more empty now…like a piece of me has gone with it. This house is just a house….but I don't think I can live here anymore, Sanzo. Bad memories, I want to leave….will you two come with me?"

"Of course we will!" Goku said firmly "Right, Sanzo?!"

"Right. We'll sell this place. The religious nuts already want to knock it down, so we can sell it to the township, get the money, and with that, buy another place. It won't be hard." Goku took Gojyo's hand in his and smiled up at him.

"Don't worry, Gojyo. We'll be here for you! You know Hakkai is waiting for you!" Gojyo smiled and nodded.

"Yeah…I know. It will take some getting used to, but I can deal with it. I know I can." Sanzo smirked.

"Keep up that good spirit, Gojyo. Now, should we go to the township with our proposal?"

"Yes, lets go."

They locked up the house and started to head for the car. Sanzo and Goku went ahead of him and Gojyo turned back to gaze at the house. He looked at it with a heavy heart and sighed.

"You know, Hakkai? I never thought anything good would come from this old piece of shit. Who would have thought that such a wonderful being was trapped in it? Maybe it was fate that brought me here? Or maybe it was just coincidence. But whatever the reason…I fell in love with you here, and in turn the house. They'll probably knock it down…but to you it was prison of some sorts. It's only material. You are safe and sound and no longer alone. I couldn't ask for anything more." He looked down, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "But I feel alone…" he sighed "I'll get used to it. I miss you…and I-"

"GOJYO!" Goku called to him. "GOJYO YOU COMING?!" he looked back and saw Goku waving happily at him. Gojyo smiled at that and turned back to gaze up at the house.

"I guess those too are better than nothing…and I can share my feelings and memories about you with them. So long, Hakkai. I love you….and we'll meet again. Don't know when or where, but we will. But I do want to keep on living for as long as I can. Later, Casper." He smiled and hopped off the porch, jogging over to the truck where his two friends were waiting for him. He will never be alone; and that thought was what kept him to continue moving on.

*~25 Years Later~*

Gojyo and Sanzo were driving down the road late at night, coming home from a party at a local bar. They both were a bit tipsy but Gojyo was well enough to drive. Both he and Sanzo lit up their cigarettes.

"That was fun, huh?" Gojyo said, smirking. "I miss seeing you drunk. You're practically sober!" Sanzo rolled his eyes.

"Nah, I've got a buzz going…shit, it's 2:00 in the morning?! Damn it! Goku is probably still up worried sick! That stupid monkey! Drive faster!"

"Hey, I'm doing the speed limit!" He dropped the cigarette out of his mouth "Shit! Now give me yours for making me drop mine!"

"Fuck you! Get another!" He moved away from Gojyo's hand as it tried to reach for his cigarette. Sanzo noticed a large deer dash out of the woods and he shouted "GOJYO WATCH OUT!" Gojyo saw the deer and swerved in time to avoid it but in his slightly drunken stupor, he lost control of the car and it spun out of control. All he could remember was a loud crash, glass, and Sanzo yelling before everything went black.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a bunch of red and blue flashing lights, and people standing over him. He looked around at them, but could not make out who they were or what. They were only shadows. He looked passed the shadows and saw a familiar face. His eyes widened and he gasped.

"Hakkai?" He watched as Hakkai walked over to him, walking through the people who did not seem to take notice of him. He looked down at him and smiled softly.

'Are you in any pain, Gojyo?'

"No…none at all…I'm dead now, aren't I?"

'Not yet…but you are getting there. They can not do anything for you.'

"What about Sanzo?"

'He is fine…he is unconscious now, but he will make a full, healthy recovery.' He smiled and put his hand over Gojyo's. 'I told you I would wait for you. This is not how I wanted to take you, though.' He pulled Gojyo's hand and Gojyo felt himself become weightless as he was pulled from his lifeless body. Gojyo looked at his body bloodied and sprawled across the hood of his car, having gone straight through the glass. He saw Sanzo start to wake up and when he opened his eyes, they met. Sanzo blinked his eyes and then they widened as he saw Gojyo and Hakkai. Gojyo waved to him as did Hakkai, smiling. Sanzo saw Gojyo's body across the hood and shook his head

"Stupid cockroach, you almost killed me. Next time I see you, you're getting my ghostly foot up your ass." He said with a smirk.

'I know what he's thinking' Said Gojyo, meeting his smirk.

'I know too, but we do not have to worry about him for another 30 years.'

'What about Goku?'

'I can not give away so much.' He turned to Gojyo, taking both hands in his. 'I want a hug now, Gojyo. A real hug.' Gojyo grinned from ear to ear and wrapped his arms around him, holding him tight.

'It feels so good to finally hold you!'

'I have longed to feel you again, Gojyo.' He hugged him tight. 'Come now, I want you to meet Kanan.'

'Will she like me?' Hakkai chuckled.

'Of course she will.' He took his hand and used the other to wave to Sanzo, who waved back. Gojyo stuck his tongue out at him and Sanzo gave him the finger in return. Gojyo wrapped his arm around Hakkai's shoulders as they walked.

'So…heaven got beer?' Hakkai laughed out loud.

'Well…something of the like. I can not tell you. You need to see for yourself. What is important is that we are together now. Forever.' Gojyo smiled at him.

'Yeah, forever.' He kissed him. 'I love you.'

'And I love you.'

Gojyo saw the same light from before when Hakkai had left him and now they were going together. Gojyo himself felt a wave of relief wash over him and it filled him with a happiness he was unfamiliar with. A true happiness. He was with the one he loved and knew that he would see his friends again. He would come and get them, as Hakkai did for him. And as Hakkai guided him into the light, Gojyo never turned to look back.

The End


End file.
